A Pirate's Life For Me
by Magicalwardrobe
Summary: The tension could be cut with a knife and when Captain Killian Jones got out his cabin, a small bundle in his arms, the whole crew breathed a huge sigh of relief. "I give now to you my daughter," Killian announced. "Her name is Lillian, Lillian Elizabeth Jones." What if Killian and Milah had a daughter? This is her story.
1. Hoist the colors

**So, I was just thinking how most of the time we all forget (even I) how important Milah was to Killian, and the part of me that loves Daddy! Killian thought. What if they had had a child together? How could that have changed him?**

 **Well, that and that I love messing up Henry's family tree more than it is.**

 **I should say now that this is** _ **not**_ **a Peter Pan x OC story. You have been warned.**

 **I hope you like it!**

 **Disclaimer: Sadly I don't own anything in this story (I wish).**

 **Hoist the colors.**

The ship rocked softly with the sway of the waves. Its Captain guided it easily on the open seas at a constant pace, the sails swelling beneath the wind.

"Don't you think today it's the perfect day for sailing?"

Killian grinned warmly form the wheel at the woman tying knots beside him. She had only been in the ship for seven months, but he was completely and utterly in love with her.

Milah bit her lip. "Well… Killian, there's actually something I'd like to talk to you about."

"Oh, alright. Say… would you rather this conversation to be kept away from prying eyes? Perhaps in our cabin?"

"Yes, that would be the best."

Killian nodded once, starting to feel unease creping in the deeps of his stomach. "Thompson!" he called his quartermaster. "Take the wheel for a moment, will you?"

Ryan Thompson obliged winking at his captain and throwing a cheeky grin. Killian rolled his eyes and snorted.

"What is it?" he asked once they were below decks.

Milah sighed. "I really don't know how to tell you this… I don't know how it could happen (well, I know _how_ but that's not the point). The point is… I'm with child."

Killian's mind went blank. "What?"

"I-I'm pregnant. And it's yours."

"A-are you certain?"

Milah's eyes flashed. "Of course I'm sure! I've spent the past seven months in this ship and the only time I've been with someone was that night with you. It _only_ can be yours. What do you take me for?"

Killian's ears flushed with red. "That's not- that's not what I meant," he stammered. "Are you sure you're pregnant?"

"Oh!" Milah blushed. "Yeah, I am."

Killian nodded. "Alright. We'll figure something out."

"You don't have to b-"

Killian guessed what she was about to say. "Of course I do. And I want to," his eyes flickered to her stomach. "That's my child. _Our_ child. I'm going to love him no matter what."

"Do you mean it?" her eyes shone brightly.

Killian encircled her in his arms. "Although a pirate ship may not be the best place to raise a child."

Milah smiled. "He's going to be a pirate… like his father."

"He?"

"Just a feeling," she fluttered her eyes flirtatiously. "What do you say we reenact this little one conception?"

"I will never say no to that, my dear."

.

.

"How long until land?"

"No more than two days," answered Bob Harvey.

Killian nodded, wringing his hands nervously. "Two days is fine."

Harvey tried to hide his smile. "Yer baby is not gonna be 'ere 'till three weeks."

"Aye, you're right. I just…"

Harvey smiled. "I know."

"Killian!" Milah's piercing scream cut through the deck.

Killian was at her side within seconds. "Milah! Are you alright? What it is?"

Milah gasped, one arm bracing her stomach and her other hand clutching Killian's in a vice grip. "It's the baby. He's coming!"

The young pirate captain paled. "Are you certain? It's too early!"

"Yes!" Milah growled. "Ughhh! Go find Cotton!"

"Aye, Cotton. The doctor. Cotton. The baby."

"Killian GO!"

Fortunately one of the pirates had already gone below decks in the search of the ship's doctor. Pierre Cotton ran through the gangway the crew had made for him, two of the youngest pirates ran beside him their hands full of the doctor's equipment.

Cotton's eyes landed on a patch of water a few paces next to Milah. "She's already in labor," he announced. "Her water broke. I'm going to have to move her to a bed."

"But it's too early!" Killian said taking Milah in his arms and following the doctor through the ship.

"It doesn't matter. It's already on its way. Leave her here, on your bed. And now go fetch me some water! And warm it!"

Killian took off running.

.

.

The birth of the Jolly Roger's newest member was long and hard. It lasted from midday to the early hours of morning of the next day and no one slept one wink. The tension could be cut with a knife and when Captain Killian Jones got out his cabin, a small bundle in his arms, the whole crew breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"I give now to you my daughter," Killian announced. "Her name is Lillian, Lillian Elizabeth Jones."

And the crew of merciless pirates gathered around the new father, silly smiles forming in each of their faces.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Tayler Carpenter snuggled in the warm blankets of her bed.

 _Maybe if I keep ignoring it, it'll go away_.

But the alarm clock was nothing but persistent and, groaning, the girl got out her warm, comfortable bed.

 _I hate Tuesdays._

Tayler dragged herself to the shower. Not knowing the changes transcending in the town since the night before. Not knowing that things were starting to change for the first time in twenty-eight years.

She encountered a closed door and groaned. "Heidi!" she pounded on the door. "Get out of there! Do you always have to hog the _bloody_ bathroom?"

"Clear off!"

Tayler fumed. "Oi! _You_ clear off! It's my turn!" she kicked the door again. "Heidi!"

Her sister appeared not long after that, a towel around her middle and a brush in her hand. "You're such a pain in the arse," she huffed. "Go on, bathroom's yours."

Tayler glared at her and walked into the bathroom. "Oh, why, thank you!" and then she shut the door behind her. Loudly.

.

.

Heidi and their father were already having breakfast and when she came down Marco regarded her with an amused expression on his face.

"Do I have to buy another alarm clock?" he teased.

"How about another bathroom?" Heidi muttered.

Tayler stuck out her tongue. "No, you don't. Hmmm… pancakes!"

Marco smiled as she sat and started attacking her pancakes. "I'd hoped they would put you in a happy mood."

Tayler pouted. "Going to school chucks the happy mood out the window."

He laughed. "At least is not Monday," he reminded her.

Tayler and Heidi groaned. "Thank god," they said at the same time.

"Stop making scenes," he teased them.

They shared a look and then rolled their eyes (Tayler's mouth full of pancakes and syrup) and Marco shook his head at their antics.

"I have to go early today. I hope I can trust you to take the bus?"

"Ppfft! Of course! It's not like we would skive off school or anything," Heidi said.

Marco narrowed his eyes and looked at Tayler. "Please, make sure your sister gets to school."

Tayler sniggered. "Yes, Dad. Why do you have to go now?"

Marco started cleaning up his plate. "I have to go to the Sheriff station."

Both girls gasped and faked scandalized expressions.

"What have you done?"

"Public indecency?"

"You got drunk on the street?"

"Theft?"

"Destruction of propriety!"

Marco shook his head. "None of that. I have to fix something there, your Uncle called me this morning."

They seemed disappointed and Marco had to chuckle to himself. He grabbed his coat and smiled at his girls.

"-shame you won't be able to see Kyle," Tayler was saying.

An alarm thundered in Marco's head. "Kyle? Who is this Kyle? Is he a boy?"

"No! Kyle has _always_ been a girl's name!" Heidi exclaimed while sending Tayler a murdering glare.

"Don't use that tone with me, girl. Tell me, is he _your_ boy? You're too young to have a boy! You're just fifteen! Who is he? Do I know his parents?"

Tayler smirked. "Why are you so interested? It's like you want her to have a boyfriend."

"What? No! No boyfriends! Absolutely forbidden! _Zero ragazzos_!"

Both sisters snickered when he started talking in Italian, like he always did when his nerves got the best of him. Tayler, then, decided to save her sister. "I was just taking the mickey out of her. Kyle is just Heidi's friend, nothing more."

Marco didn't seem very convinced but he could see it was a lost battle to argue with them. "This is not over," he told them. "but I have to go. See you tonight!"

Heidi waited until their father was out of the house to cuff Tayler across the head.

"Auch!"

"You deserved that, you twit!"

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"Are you hiding around here? No? Then what about here? Umm… Well... Mister Thompson! You haven't happened to see a young lass around here, right?"

"I don't know, Captain. What is she like?"

Killian mused. "Umm… she's about this height. Dark brown curls. Bright blue eyes. Scrawny."

Ryan shook his head. "No, sir. I haven't seen anything."

Killian sighed dramatically. "I'll keep looking, then."

Neither man made sign of having heard the muffled giggling behind one of the boxes on the stern.

"Come on Flower… I know you're out here somewhere," he let out an exaggerated gasp when his daughter's head loomed from behind the box. "There you are!" he trapped the squirming girl in his arms. "You've fallen prisoner of the nefarious Captain Jones. Surrender or there won't be mercy for you."

Lily giggled. "Never!"

"Alright. No quarter, then!" Killian started tickling her and the girl squealed in his grasp.

Lily howled with laughter. "Noooo!" she shouted. "Stop!"

"Do you surrender?" her father asked still ticking her.

"Yes!" she screamed.

Killian released her and pecked her cheek.

Lily pouted. "That's not fair."

He ruffled her hair. "Life's not fair. Now go find your mother, it's my turn at the helm."

And the four year old ran through the crowded deck, ducking beneath sails and dodging pirates with ease. Once she saw her mother, sewing some breeches Lily had broken early that week, she jumped on her with a joyful cry.

Milah smiled and put the sewing kit away. "What brings you here, love-bug?"

"I lost at hide-and-seek with Papa again," she sighed.

"Well, your Papa has always been really good at finding things," Milah whispered confidentially.

Lily yawned and snuggled into her mother side. "Tell me a story?"

"A story, huh?" Milah smiled lovingly at her daughter. "Well, let's see… Once upon a time there was a princess trapped in a castle…"

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"Shouldn't you be, I don't know, _good_ at this?" Finn asked.

Tayler scowled. "Oh, shut up!"

"I mean, really, you probably have made things a lot more difficult than this. You are building a boat! How on earth can one small birdhouse resist you this way?"

"I have more professional tools back home."

Finn smirked. "Now why don't I believe you?"

"Guys…" Paige warned keeping an eye on Miss Blanchard. "Now's not the time to discuss Ty's disastrous woodcarving skills."

"Hey!" the alluded girl protested. "Anyway… what are we doing on Halloween?" she asked. "It's only eight days away and we haven't any plans. That's so wrong!"

"I don't think my mum will let me go out," Finn said sadly.

Tayler pouted. "What? Why not? That's bollocks! It's Halloween!"

Finn shrugged. "You know my mum. The less fun for me, the better it is for her."

Needless to say Finn and his mom didn't have a very good relationship.

"We can always have a small party at your house," Paige suggested.

"A sleepover!" Tayler added, getting swept up by the idea.

"Yeah, right. A sleepover with all my brothers."

Finn was the seventh of seven sons, although none of them were his full brothers. Finn was the only son of his mother's drunken tryst which ended her marriage with the father of the rest of hers sons.

Needless to say, either, that Finn didn't have a good relationship with any of his siblings, for they blamed him with their parents' divorce and the disappearance of their father.

Finn made a face. "My mother has already enough with all of us in the house to bring her two of my friends on top of it."

"That's it!" Tayler snapped her fingers. "We can have the sleepover at _my_ house. Marco won't mind; he loves having both of you over and Heidi is going to a party. We can even go trick-or-treating and we'll help Marco decorate the house and the shop."

"That's- that's actually a good idea," conceded Paige.

"Hey! Don't sound so surprised," Tayler faked offence.

Miss Blanchard coughed, getting the attention of every kid in the class and smiled softly. The children's eyes went to the blue bird on her hands and most of them gasped. "As we build our birdhouses, remember," she said walking to the window. "what we're making is a home. Not a cage."

"Ty's looks like neither," Finn sniggered.

"Oh, bugger of," she hissed.

"They're loyal creatures," the teacher extended her arm out of the window and the bird flew from her finger to a blue birdhouse in a near tree.

"Wicked!" Tayler gasped.

Miss Blanchard turned to the class. "If you love them and they love you, they will always find you," and then the bell rang, ending whatever speech the woman had prepared.

"Let's go!" Tayler exclaimed. "We have to get out table before someone steals it again."

Usually the three kids would sit in one of the tables of the school patio, taking advantage of the sun to eat their lunch outside, until winter took over. Then only the bravest of souls (the foolhardy- would say Paige) would dare to stay long periods of time on the outside.

They ran into the Mayor, Sheriff Graham and one blond lady neither of them had ever seen before at the door. Tayler smiled and jumped to hug the young man.

"Uncle Graham!" she exclaimed.

Graham Humbert smiled softy. "Hey, Ty, had a nice day in class?"

Tayler shrugged. "It wasn't bad. What are you doing here?"

Graham's eyes wrinkled at her obvious attempt to change the conversation. "We're looking for Henry. You haven't seen him around, have you?"

The three kids shook their heads and the Sherriff sighed.

"We'll have to keep looking, then," he nodded at Regina, who had just stormed out of the classroom. "I'll go back to the station," he said. "Call me if you find anything," he smiled at his niece and ruffled her hair. "Behave."

They watched him leave and then resumed their walk to the patio. Finn cleared his throat. "About Halloween… I'll have to ask. It'll be nice to actually celebrate something for once."

"It's a date then!" Tayler bounced. "I wonder what I'll dress up as," she mused.

"A ghost?" suggested Finn.

Tayler wrinkled her nose. "Nah! Too easy. Just a sheet over your head."

"A princess?" said Paige absentmindedly putting her things in one of the empty tables. The other two followed suit.

"That's not scary at all," huffed Tayler.

"A _dead_ princes?" said Finn. "Princess Death rises from the… well, the dead. It's a zombie princess."

"I think I'll go as just a zombie," she said.

Finn sputtered. "But that's no fun. _Just_ a zombie is so… sad. You have to give it something else. Something interesting. Like a princess zombie, or a doctor zombie, or a pirate zombie."

"A pirate zombie?" Tayler said amused.

"Like in Pirates of the Caribbean?" Paige asked.

Finn's face lightened. "Exactly! We can be a cursed pirate crew! We're recruiting people to help us steer our ship for the rest of all eternity."

"Alright," Tayler accepted, getting excited. "I call being the Captain!" she said raising her hand.

Both Paige and Finn groaned looking defeated.

"Why does she always do that? Why don't we think of it first?" Finn asked glumly.

Tayler sniggered. "Because I'm awesome and you're not. Now, Paige you can be the Quartermaster and Finn, you'll be my First Mate. Savy?"

"Aye, aye Captain," answered the two of them at the same time.

Tayler stood up on the bench. "And our ship will be glorious and it shall be named… The Night Fury!"

Her new crew's faces deadpanned. Paige sighed and rubbed her eyes. "You watched How to Train Your Dragon again last night, didn't you?" she said.

Tayler's ears colored and she sat down once again. "Maybe?"

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"Rise your arms a little. Yes! Like that! Now… left! Good!"

Lily huffed trying to catch her breath and keep her sword up high. Her father waited patiently a few moments before striking suddenly.

Lily sidestepped, the wooden sword missing her by inches. "You didn't warn me," she accused lifting her blade to fend off another hit.

Killian spun, hitting his daughter softly on her knees. "No enemy will give you a warning in a battle. You have to be ready for each strike."

"Killian! What on earth are you _doing_?"

Both Killian and Lily lowered their swords, panicked expressions crossing their faces. The circle of interested pirates around them dissolved like smoke, leaving them to themselves against the fury of a worried mother.

"Traitors," Killian mumbled to himself.

Milah kneeled in front of Lily, checking for injuries. "What were you thinking? Have you gone insane?"

Killian scratched his ear. "I thought it would be a good idea if Lily learned to defend herself."

"She's _five_!"

Killian steeled himself. "That doesn't put her out of harm's way. We're pirates, Milah, we live in a pirate ship. There is danger in each port and sea. I can't have my daughter running around without knowing how to fight. I don't intend to put her in danger, but I would be a lot less worried if I knew she can hold her own with a sword."

Milah blinked and considered for a moment her lover's words. He was right, of course, but that didn't mean Milah liked the idea.

"But she's just so young. Even Bae was older when I left."

Killian sighed. "Lily is in more danger just being here than Bae ever was. Remember last year? When we get your lad I'll teach him to fight, too."

Milah gnawed at her lip. "And what if she doesn't have a sword?"

Killian frowned and then his mouth opened in surprise when he understood the meaning behind her words. "Are you suggesting…?"

"Jamie knows how to fight hand to hand, doesn't he?"

"Aye."

Milah nodded. "He will train with her, then. Just ask him to be careful. I'll teach her to read and write."

Killians eyebrows went up. "You know how to write? Why is now the first time I hear of this?"

"You're not the only one with an honorable past, lieutenant," she winked. "My mother came from a good family. She taught me."

Lily tugged on her father's coat. "Does that mean we don't have to sneak up in the middle of the night to train anymore?"

" _Killian!_ "

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"Thank you for dropping me off, Mister Carpenter," Paige said politely.

Marco smiled. "You don't have to be so polite. Call me Marco. Just Marco. And it's nothing. I was already getting Tayler."

Paige smiled gratefully and looked at her friend sitting with her in the backseat. Tayler was tapping her foot at the song coming from the radio and mouthing the words along.

"Did you know Henry's birthmother came to town yesterday?" Paige asked trying to break the sudden silence in the car.

"She did?" Tayler asked surprised.

Marco nodded form the front. "Yes. I've seen her this morning, actually. She seems really nice. Is really pretty too. But she already was behind bars …"

Both girls shared a look. "Wow, what happened? What's she like?"

"Paige here has a special interest in everything related to Hern- Auch! Did you just pinch me?"

Paige, blushing to the roots of her hair, glared at her. "Shut up!"

Marco decided to break in before things got too complicated. "How was school today?"

Tayler shrugged. "It was alright. Oh! By the way, I wanted to ask you if we could have a sleepover on Halloween."

"I imagine that by _we_ you refer to Finn, Paige and you, right?"

"You're invited to come too if you want," she teased.

Marco smiled. "Oh, don't bother. I wouldn't want to interrupt and make you uncomfortable."

"We could sleep in the woodshop!" Tayler exclaimed.

"No! Absolutely not! I'm not going to let three children running around in a room full of dangerous tools."

"That's alright," Paige said. "Tayler's room will be fine."

Tayler smirked. "Unless you don't want Finn to come because he's a _boy_."

"Here you are, Paige!" Marco exclaimed a little too happily.

Paige got out the truck with a little smile on her face. "Thank you again!" and she watched Marco's Handyman & Woodwork Truck Services drive away.

"I'm imagining I have to drop you off at the beach, no?"

Tayler smiled. "Well… my surfboard and wetsuit are already here."

"I swear you were a mermaid in your past life," the old man chuckled.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"Look, Papa! I can do a backward roll!"

"I can see that, Flower. Are you certain you don't want to come aboard the ship? The air is getting rather cold and I do not want you to become ill. And your mother will positively murder me if you come having even a little bit of temperature."

Lily stuck out her tongue. "I'm fine, Papa. Swim with me!"

Killian sighed but slowly made his descend from the Jolly and into the cold waters of the white beach where they had made port that afternoon.

Lily swam towards him and went underwater at the last moment. The pirate captain felt small hands at his ankles and then a tug. Suddenly his whole body was submerged and his daughter sent him a smile and an underwater kiss.

Killian lunged, picking her up in his arms, and resurfaced. Lily didn't have much time to scream before she was launched through the air and splashing away.

Sputtering the five year old emerged, she glared at her father and that ensured a playful game of tag among the waves.

At last Killian caught her in his arms and kissed her cheek, ending the game. "You are half mermaid," he assured.

Lily splashed with both legs together, like a mermaid tail. "Maybe I was one in another life."

Killian caught her and nuzzled her hair. "Perhaps. But now you are not and I'll be fish food if we don't run to get you dry."

"Mama will probably kill you, huh?"

Killian nodded. "Most certainly."

 **.**

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 **What did you think? Did you like Lily? Do you know who she is? (I bet you do) Should I keep going? Burn this?**

 **Don't forget to review.**

 **MW.**


	2. Friends along the way

**Thank you so much for your reviews! And in the first chapter, too! You're awesome, really.**

 **Yeah, here you go. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: As you already know… not mine.**

 **Friends along the way.**

The forest was dark and still. The heavy snow crunched beneath her boots and her breath clouded before her eyes.

Lily shivered and gritted her teeth to keep them form chattering. She couldn't be heard or her whole plan would fail. An owl hooted somewhere above her and Lily breathed in to calm herself.

The warm fire flickered on the beach and the figures slowly went to sleep. The camp Lily had been watching since noon fell silent. But the girl kept waiting. And waiting.

And then loud snores started to fill the beach and Lily smiled. Some of the animals fidgeted at the new sound and a couple of owls flew away. That was her chance.

Really slowly and keeping close to the ground the young girl made her way to the sleeping settlement. « _Idiots!_ » she scoffed internally. « _Not even keeping watch_.»

Her steeps were completely soundless while she approached the bundle of ropes near one of the biggest figures. She crouched and searched in the satchel as quickly as she possibly could until her fingers closed over a small pouch. She grinned and took it out. There were some coins, enough to get her a couple weeks on a small inn in the coast-side and Lily breathed in relief, getting out her own pouch.

Just as she was closing the satchel with the now empty pouch inside, she heard someone clearing her throat and the telling crack of a bow tensing.

Lily gulped and turned slowly. The black haired woman she'd been watching all day was looking at her with a raised eyebrow and an arrow pointed straight at her heart.

"Now, why don't you put that where you found it?" she said.

Lily knew better than to play the innocent. So she jumped over the woman, who hesitated long enough for Lily to knock the bow out of her hands and take off running towards the forest.

Lily heard the woman curse and her footsteps following behind her. The girl frowned; she was quick, but she had nothing against a full grown person. She hoped the darkness and the trees could help her hide.

The woman's breathing was closer than Lily would like, so she pushed her legs to go faster, ducking beneath branches and jumping over logs and roots. Her heart beat fast in her chest and fire ran through her veins, making her head seem clearer.

And then she felt arms around her waist and both females fell to the ground. Lily landed over some rocks that scrapped her skin and made her wince, but before she could return to her feet the woman turned her around, straddled her legs and immobilized her arms.

"I think you and I should have a little talk, don't you agree?"

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

The handle moved another inch and Tayler frowned.

"You've been staring at that clock for two days," Paige whispered. "Stop it. Someone fixed it and that's it. Get over it!"

"But who would want to fix the clock? It's been that way since… since forever. And my father said he didn't do it and he's the only one who can."

Paige rolled her eyes. "We don't have anything better to worry about than the mystery of the clock which fixed itself," she scoffed at Tayler confused face. "The history exam?"

"Oh, shit!"

Paige facepalmed. "Please, tell me you didn't forget."

The bus turned and the clock tower disappeared from their views. "It's in the last hour of the day, right?"

Paige sighed. "Yes, it is."

Tayler searched in her bag until she found her textbook. "Alright, so I have time to study something."

"What would you do without me?" Paige asked rhetorically.

Tayler pouted dramatically. "Die," she grinned. "And fail everything."

"Well I don't think everything… I'm sure you'd pass gym."

Both girls erupted in giggles which blended with the chaos in the rest of the bus. Tayler opened the book in both of their laps and their heads dropped together while they searched for the correct unit.

"Do you think Finn has studied for this exam?" Tayler wondered out loud.

Paige groaned. "I hope so. I can't handle the both of you at the same time."

Tayler snorted. "We're not so bad, aren't we?" she asked with wide, innocent eyes. The I'm-an-angel-please-how-could-I-do-whathever-you-are-accusing-me-of-doing-which-I-have-totally-done-but-I-don't-want-you-to-know face, as Paige liked to call.

"Well… you're funny."

"Gee, thanks! That makes me feel so much better about myself."

"You already have a big head, Ty, there's no need to make it any bigger."

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Lily grimaced. "This can't be a comfortable way to have a talk in any way."

The woman smiled. "It's not, but I know you'll just run if I let you go," her eyes seemed to meet Lily's face for the first time and she frowned. "How old are you?"

"That's a difficult question to answer."

The woman's nails dug into Lily's wrists. "Well, make it easy, then."

"I'm eight," _give or take two hundred years._

The hands around her arms loosened a little. "Why were you trying to steal from us?"

"Because I needed money?" Lily answered, confused.

The woman scoffed. "I mean, what do you need the money for?"

Lily frowned. "Why do you care? If you let me go I'll give you your money back and we can part ways as unlikely friends."

"Tell me what you needed the money for and I'll consider that," the woman hissed, although there wasn't as much venom.

Lily sighed. "I wanted the money to go to the coast and search for my father. Will you let me go now? You're heavy and my legs are falling asleep."

The woman considered while Lily wriggled around, trying to escape. "Any costal town in particular?"

 _Was this woman ever going to let her go?_ "Oh, for the love of-! If I had known this was going to happen I would have let you get me with the arrow!"

The lady's eyes narrowed. "That is a problem easily fixed. Now, which costal town?"

Lily suddenly felt suspicious. "Why? Are _you_ travelling to one of the seaside villages? Because if that's the case then I'm going to the mountains. I do not want to be your travelling companion."

The woman huffed. "You think it sits right with me to let an _eight-year-old_ wander alone lost and with no money?" Her fiery eyes stared into Lily's. "I'm doing this because it's the right thing to do. So, tell me which is you destination," she ordered.

Lily deflated. "I don't know. I lost my father some time ago and I don't know where he could be. But he's a p-sailor, so I know he's bound to be around the coast. That's the only thing I can do to find him," she felt a lump knotting on her throat and took a deep breath.

"Why doesn't he come for you?" the woman asked bemused.

Lily smiled dryly. "Because he believes me dead."

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

The sand felt cold beneath her feet and Tayler smiled. There wasn't a better feeling in the world than a soft breeze, the smell of the sea and the crashing of waves.

Tayler's eyes searched the beach, already feeling a lot more relaxed, and found Henry in his playground castle. She started walking towards him, a sudden idea in her mind.

"Hi, Henry!" she smiled when close enough to be heard.

Henry returned the smile. It wasn't the first time Tayler approached him before surfing. They had some kind of a ritual, where Henry could entertain himself watching her play tricks with her surfboard and he let her leave her towel and clothes in the castle to keep them away from sand.

"How did you do today in the exam?" she asked resting her surfboard against one of the towers and climbing up the stairs. "I totally forgot we had that exam and Paige had to help me the hours before," she propped herself up to sit next to Henry with her feet dangling over the ground. "But I think it went good. How about you?"

Henry shrugged, covering his book with his hands. "Not too bad, either. My mom made me study the days before."

Tayler huffed. "Boy, that must suck."

"You can say that again," Henry muttered.

The girl smiled and nudged his side. "So, it's not that I don't enjoy our little talks, but I actually had something to say."

Henry frowned but his heart beat a bit faster. "Yeah?"

Tayler nodded. "Paige, Finn and I are going out Wednesday evening-night and we thought you'd like to come?"

"Wednesday night? What's on Wednesday?"

Tayler looked at him incredulously. "It's Halloween, you dimwit! Trick-or-treating? Costumes? You know… Halloween?"

Henry blushed. "I know what Halloween is; I just forgot what day it was. And you want me to come?"

Tayler nodded. "Yeah, it'll be cool. Afterwards we're having a sleepover at my house but I know your mom is not gonna let you come."

Henry nodded sadly. "You're right. I'm not even sure if she'll let me go with you, guys."

Tayler frowned. "You have to try! You can't miss all the fun! When was the last time you celebrated Halloween?"

"When was yours?" he retorted.

Tayler blinked, confused. "I-I'm not quite sure… Well, that doesn't matter. You just ask her. Appeal her inner kid."

Henry snorted and they both smiled. "But I don't have a costume."

Tayler smiled brightly. "Oh, don't worry about that. After school we're all going to Paige house to get dressed up. She has tons of things, I'm sure we'll find something for you. We're going as pirate zombies."

"Like in Pirates of the Caribbean?"

"Exactly!" she clapped once. "So, you ask her tonight and tell her tomorrow what she says. Insist if she says no!" she jumped off the castle. "Bye! Gotta catch some waves!" the girl grabbed her surfboard. "Nice talking to you!" she started running towards the water. "Keep an eye on my things, will you?"

Henry watched her jump into the seemingly cold water and give a cry of surprise. Her form started to wane as she paddled into the ocean.

Emma cleared her throat, making him jump, startled, and blush from head to toe. "Emma, hi!"

Emma tried to hide her smirk, unsuccessfully. "A friend of yours?"

Henry averted her eyes while she sat next to him. "Kinda. We just talk… sometimes… She's Marco's adoptive daughter."

Both shared a charged look at the world _adoptive_ and Emma tried to lighten the mood. "Huh. She's Graham's niece, isn't she? I saw her my first day here. I guess that's where she gets the accent from. Anyway, did you try to lay out your moves on her?" she nudged him softly.

Henry blushed beetroot. "Emma! We're just- We're not even really friends!"

"You sure?" she smiled. "Okay, then. What was that all about?"

"She invited me to go out with her friends next Wednesday night," Henry explained.

"That's great… Wait, what's on Wednesday?"

Nobody could deny him she was his mother.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

At last the woman stood up, letting Lily take a deep, deep breath.

"Say, I give you back the money or…?"

The woman bit her lip. "You return me my money and we'll figure out something from here."

Lily sighed but threw her the pouch full of the stolen coins. The woman recovered them and gave the small bag back to Lily.

The girl frowned at its weight. "There's still something in there."

"Yes, there is," the lady said simply.

"Oh!" Lily was at a loss for words.

A hand entered the young pirate's vision and she interpreted the woman wanted to help her to get to her feet.

"Come on," the lady said after Lily had finished brushing all the leaves and dirt off her hair and clothes. "You're coming to the camp with me."

"Do I have my say in this?" Lily sighed tiredly.

The woman started her march to the campsite. "No. Let's go."

Lily stood planted firmly on her spot. "I don't really trust you right now, you know?"

The woman turned, grabbed her by the arm and started dragging her through the trees. " _I_ am the one who shouldn't trust you. And you don't have a choice in this either way."

"I'd gathered as much," she grumbled.

"You talk really weird for an eight year old."

Lily stiffened. "I guess you could say I'm pretty grown up."

The woman smiled at her, cheekily. "I'd gathered as much," she parroted. "I'm Snow White, by the way."

"That's a weird name."

Snow White rolled her eyes. "This is the part when you say your name back."

"Hey… Snow White… aren't you the one in the posters all around? You're a bandit, too. Did you also steal those coins? Now _that_ would be embarrassing."

"Yes, yes, I'm a bandit, an outlaw. It would be a little hypocrite of you to judge me for this."

"Who says I'm judging you?" Lily asked with a raise of her eyebrow.

"It just seemed like it," Snow White muttered.

Lily seized the chance. "Say, you wouldn't happen to have seen a girl around here. Blondish hair, brown eyes, kind of cheeky?"

Snow shook her head. "I just woke yesterday from… well, a long nap let's say," she turned to look at her, interested. "Why? A friend of yours?"

"You could say she is my sister?"

Snow White raised her eyebrows. " _Could say_? I don't think I ever met a kid as cryptic as you."

Lily smirked. "It's all part of my charm."

A heavy silence fell over them. The only sounds were her footsteps and heavy breathing. Lily started to shiver, not truly equipped to that kind of weather, and Snow White quickened the pace.

Lily felt oddly touched.

"You can call me Tiger Lily."

Snow White took her time to answer. "Now _that's_ a weird name."

.

.

The fire and the blanket helped Lily get her normal body temperature back. Snow White even gave her some leftover rabbit to fill her empty stomach.

"What brought you here?" Lily asked curiously.

Snow White made a face. "The Evil Queen."

Lily blinked. "Who?"

The woman turned her wide, surprised eyes at her. "The Evil Queen? Regina? She has this whole land terrorized. Where have you been all these last years?"

"I'm not from around here," Lily said simply. "So… The Evil Queen? She's a bad monarch? Why don't you rebel or something?"

Snow White seemed offended. "Well, we are going to. It's just not that easy. We can't just go over to m-her castle and take it back."

"Why not? I think that's easy."

Snow White huffed. "She has magic. Dark magic."

Lily rolled her eyes. "I don't think her magic is powerful enough to stop a whole realm which is at her throat. And if she's as bad as you say I guess there's a lot of people who will gladly join a restitution mission."

"If they haven't rebelled now I doubt they will," the woman sighed. "And that's my people, too. This kingdom was my father's, but when he died it passed on to my step-mother, Regina, and I had to run away to the woods," she whispered. "I can't let them die just for following me."

Lily brightened. "But that's great! The people will follow you because they will see you as a way to get back the reins of their lives. Then -BAM!- you strike with everything you've got and you recover your rightful throne."

"That does sound like a great plan, Snow," said the man sleeping on the other side of the fire.

Lily gave a squeak and fell down the log she was sitting on. The man sat on his coat which served him as a bed with an apologetic smile.

"I don't really think recruiting the people is a good idea," said Snow White.

"If they don't fight for their own kingdom, who will?" the man asked patriotically.

Lily waved at him. "I'm Tiger Lily."

"Prince James," he answered not even raising an eyebrow at her name.

Lily nodded. "I think Prince James is right. But, well, you won't know until you try it."

"I guess so?" the woman didn't seem very convinced. "We'll accompany you some of the way to the coast and we'll give you money. You'll find your father," she promised. "And your sister," she added with an afterthought.

"I hope so."

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"I'm so sorry about this," Henry said mournfully as they trudged down the lane to the white door. "She thinks I'm trying to trick her and I'm really with Emma and not you, guys."

Finn smiled. "Well, as long as she has candy…" he shook his pumpkin bag half-full of sweets.

Henry rang the doorbell and they all waited. The house owner was at the front, while the other three fidgeted some steps behind.

The door opened suddenly and the Mayor let out a squeak of surprise at the sight of her bloodied, zombified, pirate son.

Henry grinned. "Hi, Mom. Trick or treat?"

Regina seemed surprised at seeing the other kids behind Henry, so Finn and Tayler waved, to Paige chagrin. The Mayor rolled her eyes and, surprisingly, searched behind the door for a bag full of sweets.

"Who are you supposed to be?" Regina frowned while putting the candy in the baskets of the eager kids. "Captain Hook?" she asked with a sarcastic tone.

Tayler jumped on her toes. "Oh! I call being Captain Hook!"

Finn scowled. "But Captain Hook's a boy."

Tayler puffed her chest. "But I'm the Captain of this little crew. So that makes me Captain Hook," she looked around. "Paige can be Wendy and you, Henry, can be Peter Pan."

Henry smiled. "Cool. I guess that makes us enemies, then."

Finn crossed his arms, the pumpkin bag dangling perilously. "And what about me?"

Tayler smirked. "You can be Tinkerbell."

Finn pouted. "Hey!"

"Do you prefer Smee?" Henry asked wrinkling his nose in disgust.

"The crocodile!" exclaimed Paige.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Don't you have other people to go bother?"

"Tick, tock, tick, tock," Finn chanted turning on his feet to continue their march.

"I want you home before midnight!" Regina called out for her son.

"Okay, Mom," Henry said without turning and giving the other three kids an exasperated look.

.

.

They were having a blast. And the haul of candy they managed to get wasn't bad, either. In the streets they could see a lot of different creatures, although mostly it was kids or little kids with their parents.

"Oh, hey!" Henry exclaimed suddenly. "That's my mo- Emma's car!"

Tayler bounced on the spot. "Oh, oh! Let's give her a scare!"

"You shouldn't have had so many sugar," Paige commented.

Tayler pouted. "But I _love_ sugar."

Henry sprawled over Emma's window with a dramatic groan and clutching at the fake-wound on his stomach. He turned his eyes to his amused and perplexed mother reading the newspaper behind the wheel and pressed a hand against the window.

"Braaaiiins," he moaned.

Emma laughed and got out the car. "Hey, kid! That's a pretty cool costume you got there. It even seems real."

Henry grinned. "Paige's mother gave us the makeover."

Finn, Paige and Tayler smiled like innocent angels when Emma's eyes turned to them. "Hey, Miss Swan," they chorused.

Emma's mouth twitched. "How are you doing?"

Paige's eyes twinkled with a sudden idea. "Miss Emma, would you mind taking a photo of us with your phone so I could send it to my mom. I think she'd like that."

"Oh! I'd have to call my dad, too. It's nearly midnight," Tayler mused. "He's really worried about Heidi's first party, so I don't think I should give him more reasons for a panic attack."

Emma nodded hiding a smile. "Of course," she got out her phone from her pocket. "Say 'brains'."

Paige was smiling, unaware of Tayler's finger faking two bunnies ears behind her head. Tayler and Finn made faces, sticking out their tongues and Finn crossing his eyes. Last of all Henry was held in a chokehold by Finn and had a big smile on his face.

Emma couldn't help but smile sweetly at the photo and gave her phone to Paige. Henry bounced to her and started talking excitedly, relating the events of the night while his mother listened thoughtfully.

Paige sent her mother the picture and her eyes lingered on the sweet scene of mother and son chatting animatedly. She took some pictures of it under Tayler's knowing look. Paige passed the phone to her friend so she could make her call.

They didn't say a word.

Neither did Emma some hours later when she discovered the new pictures on her phone, a big smile suddenly overcoming her face.

 **.**

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 **.**

 **.**

 **Yep, Lily is Tiger Lily. But I bet you all were expecting that, I mean: she's Captain Hook's daughter so she has something to do with Neverland, her name is Lily and her cursed one is** _ **Tayler**_ **which kind of sounds like Tiger (yeah, I wasn't exactly subtle).**

 **You must be wondering… how did Lily become Tiger Lily? What happened? Why does Killian think she's dead? Who the hell is Heidi?**

 **Don't worry, you'll have more Killian next chapter.**

 **Tell me what you thought,**

 **MW.**


	3. It's not where you come from

**So, Kristy asked about the kids in Storybrooke. I can't tell you much (because, duh, spoilers), only that you know Paige, she's Grace (Jefferson's daughter) and Heidi and Finn appear also in the show if very briefly (maybe mentioned only). And think I've said too much.**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: Nothing that you can recognize belongs to me.**

 **It's not where you come from.**

Tayler's eyes travelled across her mother face and she sighed. It was one of the few pictures she had of her, the one of her wedding day with Marco. She seemed so happy.

If only she could have met her.

Tayler lowered her eyes to her English homework and started doodling on the margins of the page. After not very long she found herself staring at the picture in front of her.

She huffed and lowered the frame against the table, so she couldn't see it. Maybe that way she could get something done.

The young girl managed to finish one exercise before her hands wandered absentmindedly to the picture so she could take a peek.

She truly couldn't see the resemblance. The woman on the photograph had long reddish hair and brown eyes. Full constellations of freckles ran through her face, neck and arms and her complexion was overall a little pudgy.

« _I guess I must take after my father, then,_ » she though for the millionth time. « _Whoever he might be_.»

Her musings got interrupted by the entrance of her father, who smiled kindly at her. His eyes, though, saddened when he saw her looking at the picture.

"Tayler…" he sighed.

Tayler smiled half-heartedly. "I know, I know. Do my homework."

Marco shook his head. "That's not what I was going to say and you know it," he sat beside her on the kitchen table. "Do you want me to talk about her?"

The girl could she the pain in his eyes at the proposition so she waved her hand. "No, it's alright. Gotta finish all of this. Maybe some other time."

Her father nodded grateful and nudged her side softly. "What would you say if I told you to skip this horrible homework and work in the shop with me a little bit, huh? And maybe you can convince your sister and tonight we can have pizza."

Tayler smiled. "I'd say that's a great idea. We can work on the boat, can we?"

"That would be one option. But I believe you'd better finish Finn's gift. Is not his birthday in a couple of weeks?"

Tayler's eyes widened. "Oh, shoot! I totally forgot!"

Marco chuckled. "Come on, then, girl. You better finish that skateboard."

And both, father and daughter, disappeared through the backdoor (neither of them used the front door very much) and towards the woodshop that waited for them on the other side of the street.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

The ship rocked with the force of a very big wave and Lily clutched to the yard with her nude toes to keep the balance. She walked with her arms extended and then jumped.

Air flapped her clothes and hair and a bubbly, giddy feeling burst in her stomach. An exhilarated guffaw escaped her lips and suddenly she came to a stop. Her eyes encountered brown breeches and a disapproving frown.

"Mama," she smiled innocently upside down.

Milah crossed her arms, actually not surprised. "How many times have I told you it's dangerous to go jumping of the sails like that?"

Lily started to spin and her mother grabbed her arms to steady her. "A lot of times," the girl answered with a shrug.

Milah sighed and kissed her daughter on the nose. "You know how to get out of there?"

Lily huffed. "Of course I do. I'm a big girl," she pouted.

Her mother smiled. "That you are. I can't believe it's going to be your seventh birthday!"

Lily groaned. "Mama!" her face was red, both from the embarrassment and the blood rushing to her face because of her position.

"I know, I know. Stop embarrassing you," she rolled her eyes. "Get out from down there, I think we'll arrive land soon."

"Oh, we will. I've seen some brown. We'll probably get there in an hour."

Milah raised an eyebrow amused. "And why didn't you say something?"

"I'm waiting to see how long it takes Jack to spot it," she whispered.

Milah snorted and grabbed her daughter's middle so she could untie herself. "And why do you think he hasn't seen it yet?"

"I think they cracked a bottle last night," Lily confided. "He must be feeling quite bad," her feet touched the deck and she smiled.

Milah ruffled her hair. "As he should."

They both started walking to starboard, careful not to disturb any of the man's work. With mirrored gestures they leaned and looked over the railing and to the fast moving waters below.

"Where are we going?" Lily asked. "You've been keeping it so secret…"

Milah smiled mysteriously. "It's a surprise," she nudged her side softly. "A birthday surprise."

Lily groaned again. "Why do you always make such a fuss about my birthdays. Last year you raided a full island so we could have it all to ourselves," a suspicious look came over her eyes. "You aren't going to kill someone, are you?"

Her mother scoffed. "Of course not!" she turned serious. "Your birthdays are important, love-bug. You grow old."

"And so does everyone in this ship one day," Lily huffed. "What makes mine so special?"

Milah passed an arm over the young pirate's shoulders. "You're our daughter and the only kid on the ship. Your birthdays are still a milestone, ours blur together with each year. I never thought I would be able to have more children, yet here you are."

Dawning came over Lily's face. "This is about my brother, right? Baelfire?"

Milah sighed, defeated. "It plays some part in it, yes. I regret not being there to celebrate his birthdays so I make it up with yours."

"And why don't we go get him and then you can shower him with attention?"

"We're working on it."

Lily sighed and slanted over the banister letting her eyes wander over the small spot of earth growing bigger each second. "I'd like to have a big brother."

Milah mirrored her position and smiled. "You'd have to teach him how to sail and fight."

Lily smiled. "I could do that."

"Land-ho!" shouted Jack from above the sails.

Lily and Milah shared a look and snorted. "About time," the mother said.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Tayler heart beat fast in her chest at the sight of the woman drinking in one of the tables. She knew what she was doing was wrong and would hurt her father, but she _had_ to know.

So Tayler steeled herself and entered the dinner. With resolute steps she approached the table and plopped into the bench.

Emma Swan lifted her head from the paper with a raised eyebrow. "Can I help you? Tayler, wasn't it?"

"Yes, my name is Tayler. Tayler Carpenter. And yes, you can help me."

An amused smile crossed Emma's lips. "Can I?"

Tayler nodded. "Everyone knows how you helped look for the missing coma guy and yesterday was that pregnant lady and Henry says you are really good at finding people. And I need you to find someone."

"Alright. And who is that someone so important I have to search for?" Emma asked with an indulgent smile.

"My father," Tayler answered firmly.

Emma's smile wavered. "You father? You mean Marco?"

Tayler shook her head. "No, I mean my real father."

Emma rubbed her temples. "What's it about this town?" she grumbled to herself.

The young girl fidgeted uncomfortably on her seat. "Please?" she begged. "I truly need to know something. Anything," her voice turned into a whisper. "I just want to know…"

Her companion sighed. "Okay, I'll help you," she conceded. "But first I'll need another cup of coffee."

Tayler nodded and wriggled her hands nervously. She waited while Emma signaled Ruby and asked for a refill and then started sipping slowly.

"Okay," Emma broke the silence a while later, her cup already half empty. "First I need you to tell me something, anything you know about him."

Tayler nodded having expected that request. She knew enough about her birth father, but at the same time it was never enough.

"My mom, Judy," she started. "was way younger than Marco, fifteen years or so. But they loved each other a whole lot," she added hasty. "They wanted to have children but they couldn't and that put a strain on their relationship. So my mom went one day to Boston to take a break from the stress, she spend a couple weeks there and she met a handsome stranger. One thing led to the other and they… well… um… you know," Tayler blushed beetred.

"They conceived you."

Tayler made a face but nodded at the suggestion. "Yeah, that. My mom came home and she found out I was on my way. They fought a lot but in the end they chose to see the best of it –of me. Ju-My mom died in childbirth," Tayler's eyes saddened "and Marco adopted me so I was officially his daughter. But he never talks of my mom, I only know of this because my sister told me what she knows. Though Heidi is not really my sister, she's actually my cousin," the girl explained. "My mom was her mother oldest sister; Graham's too. Gwenda was married to Bob Davies and they had Hedi. Five years later, not long after I had arrived, they died in a car crash. My Dad took her in and raised us both as his own."

It took some seconds for Emma to understand all the babbled information but when she did she leaned forwards. "Do you know the name of the hotel where she, your mum, stayed? Do you have a description of your birth-father?"

Tayler bit her lip and shook her head. "No, my dad doesn't like to talk about it and I don't think my mom gave him a description of the man she cheated him with."

A small smile curved Emma's lips. "You might be right. Okay, when's your birthday?"

"April 2," Tayler answered hastily.

"And you're ten, right?" she guessed and the girl nodded. "Right, well, I'll contact some of my friends in Boston and see if they can find me anything on Judy Carpenter the July of 2000. If we know where she stayed maybe we can track some of her movements and see if she met someone those days, but you should try to talk to your father about this, see if he can tell you anything else."

Tayler's face lightened. "Thank you so much! I-I… It's more than I had hoped for. Thank you!" she jumped out the booth. "I'll talk with Dad today," she promised. "Heidi is gone to a friend's house, so we have the place all to ourselves. We'd planned to have a picnic on my treehouse. I'll talk with him."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "You have a treehouse?"

Tayler scoffed. "My dad's a carpenter… wait, that's funny. He's a carpenter and his surname is Carpenter… I hadn't thought of that," the girl shook her head and smiled again. "I have to go. Thanks again for your help!"

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Lily looked curiously at the small town they had made port in. There weren't many buildings and half of them were ready to fall apart. She looked at her mother and wrinkled her nose.

Milah snickered. "Don't look so disgusted."

"It smells like a sick lamb threw up… several times."

Milah shook her head amused. "It isn't so bad. The town where your father found me was ten times worse."

"It can be _worse_?"

Her father intervened. "It's not that bad. Just take a deep breath and you'll get used to it."

Lily pinched her nose. " _You_ take a deep breath," she said petulantly.

Both her parents shared a look and then hooted with laughter. Lily pouted behind her hand; great, who was being childish now?

Her father guided them to one of the houses on the outskirts where, thankfully, it didn't smell so bad. The house was clearly abandoned, though, and Lily wondered why on earth her parents wanted her to spend her birthday _there_.

Her papa deflated when they entered the house, a soft sigh escaping him when he took in their dirty surroundings. There was dust everywhere and some of the walls were peeling off, the glass from the windows was shattered on the floor next to some debris from part of the ceiling.

"It's… nice?" Lily tried.

Milah smiled at her and passed her arm over her shoulders, hugging the little girl against her side. Killian, on the other hand, was walking around the house looking at every little thing like it was the clue to the most important treasure of the world.

"Mama, what's happening?" Lily asked softly.

Her father approached with a small portrait clutched in his hands. He gave it to Lily and she could see a beautiful woman sitting in an armchair with a small toddler on her lap, a kid standing on her left and a young man on her right.

"Who are they?" she asked with a small voice.

"The young lad is my brother Liam, the man is my father," he spat the word. "Brennan and the woman my mother Lilian, we named you after her."

"She's so pretty!" Lily exclaimed and her fingers caressed the round face of the baby. "And this is you?"

Killian smiled. "Aye, there I am. Always devilishly handsome."

Lily giggled and then a sad look passed over her face. "What happen to them?"

Her father sighed and Milah gave him a compassionate look. "My mother died when I was but a young lad. A terrible sickness took her away all too soon. My brother-" his breath hitched. "My brother died too, years later. He was a hero and he died as one. You would have had him wrapped around your little finger."

Lily lowered her head, suddenly sad that she hadn't had the chance to meet those people who were so important to her father. "And your Papa?"

A dark look, although not as dark as whenever Lily or Milah were in danger, came over him. "He abandoned me and Liam, selling us to slavery so he could ran away and save his skin," he seethed.

Milah let go of Lily's shoulder and grabbed Killian's hands. "It's alright, everything is alright."

But Lily knew it was not alright, for even at her young age she knew that no child could be abandoned that way by their father and keep living life oh-so-happily. For the first time her wide innocent eyes saw the brokenness in her father's heart and she understood him a little more.

"Perhaps you could tell me about them," Lily said trying to break the pain-filled silence. "About Liam and Nana, I mean."

Killian's eyes twinkled. "I would like that very much," after a moment he cleared his throat. "I brought you here for a reason, though," he said. "If only I can find it… There!" he crouched over the floor next to one of the broken windows and grabbed something. "I want you to have this," it was another portrait, but this one only of Lilian and her young namesake could admire better her beauty. "And also this," he added.

Lily tore her eyes from the drawing to see her father fiddling with the chain he always wore around his neck. He unclasped the silver collar and removed one ring that hung with the other charms.

On Lily's extended hand he deposited the silver ring. It was light and beautiful, engraved on it there were some knots (Lily counted ten) connected to each other. On the inside there was an inscription which read « _Home is where the heart is_ ».

"This ring," he said. "is one of the last things I have of my mother. Her mother gave it to her and the same with _her_ mother. It has been passed down from generations on her line of the family. When she was dying she gave it to me, saying that it represented eternity and protection so it would always keep me safe. Now, I want _you_ to have it," and he curled Lily's fingers over the ring.

"Papa…" Lily's eyes teared up.

"Shhh," Killian silenced her with a soft smile. "I have too many rings anyway."

Lily smiled. "Thank you. It's beautiful," she opened her hand so she could admire it once more. "But couldn't you have given me it in the ship?"

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"Something is on your mind," Marco declared. "What is it?"

Tayler sighed, why did he have to know her so well? "I talked to Emma Swan this morning."

Marco raised an eyebrow showing her his interest. "Oh? Is there a reason?"

"Well…"

His curiosity picked. "Spit it, girl."

"I asked if she could help me find who my birth father was," she said cringing.

Marco dropped his can of beer in surprise and the yellow liquid spilled on the floor. "W-what?"

"It's just that you never talk about him and I was curious, I mean, he's a part of me, too and I know nothing of him. And whenever I try to talk with you about Mom you get this sad, betrayed face and I can't… I just can't. All that I know is what Heidi told me, and trust me, that's not much. Even Uncle Graham refuses to tell me about her; he says it should be your decision. So I thought if I talked with Emma maybe she'd help me. But she told me she needs more information and perhaps you can tell me?" she stopped her blabbering and took a deep breath.

Marco sat there flabbergasted but then he looked down at the table, defeated. "You're right. I've been keeping this from you long enough. What do you want to know?"

Tayler scratched her ear. "Why would you keep it from me? Why keep me in the dark for so long?"

Marco sighed. "I-I guess I was afraid, still am."

Tayler frowned in confusion. "Afraid?"

"That you would think he was better than me and leave me for him. That you would realize I'm just an old man and you would want to stay with your birth-father."

Tayler scowled. "Why would I do that?" she scoffed. "You are my real father and I love you. He's part of me just as I'm part of him but you were the one that brought me up, and I wouldn't trade it for the world. You may not be my blood, but you're my home. You and Heidi. After all," her hand came to play to the ring she wore on her chain-necklace with a silver fleur-de-lis and an old platinum skull. "home is where the heart is."

Marco smiled relieved. "Is there anything else you'd like to know?"

Tayler bounced excited at the prospect of learning new things of her heritage. "What was Mom's favorite color?"

Marco laughed. "Really, _that_ 's what you want to know?"

Tayler smiled mischievously. "I'm just easing you into it. Now, answer the question! This is really important! Life or death matter!"

Marco thought it for a long time, probably to get on his daughter's nerves. "It was pink," he declared in the end.

Tayler wrinkled her nose disgusted. "Pink?" she spat out like a swear word.

Marco chortled. "Oh I should have recorded this!"

Tayler smiled understanding. "Oh, so it's a joke. Good one. What was _truly_ her favorite color?"

"I wasn't lying, it was really pink."

"Good god!"

 **.**

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 **What did you think? Did you like it?**

 **Before you ask, no, the ring Killian gives Lily is not the same he will later give Emma. Just making it clear.**

 **MW.**


	4. Starry Night

**Sooooooorrry for the delay! I was meaning to update sooner. Really. Just… life got in the way.**

 **I've started university (or college, however you want to call it) today. Whooo!**

 **I have to say I'm really tired.**

 **So I wrote this chapter after watching one episode from GoT… you've been warned. But it's not bad... this one at least.**

 **Disclaimer: nothing is mine, well, I could say Tayler is but… not really, kind of?**

 **Starry Night.**

"I said stay put."

Paige fidgeted. "I can't."

Tayler huffed. "And you call _me_ hyperactive. Keep looking at the court."

"Shouldn't we be focusing on Finn's party? It's why we're here, after all."

"Hush, I'm nearly finished. Do you know how hard is to get you five minutes in the same place? I had Finn's done _ages_ ago."

Paige pouted but her eyes travelled to the guys playing basketball on the court and her day brightened. Some minutes later Tayler let out a satisfied sigh and a folder landed on Paige's lap.

"Here you have, Your Grace."

Paige deadpanned. "You know that's not funny. It wasn't funny the first time you said it and it's not funny now. It's as if I started making jokes about you being a carpenter. Wood-jokes perhaps."

Tayler huffed. "You do. Each time someone says my surname. Not funny."

Paige snickered. "I remember."

The blonde girl looked at the sketch and smiled. It really looked like her staring off into the distance. Paige skimmed through some of the other drawings; there was Marco in the workshop, Finn pouting, Henry waving as he talked with some wooden structure in the background, Heidi playing the piano and a lot of landscapes, mainly the sea.

"These are really good," she said sincerely. "Don't you ever color them?"

"You know I don't have the patience for that and, besides, the pencils I have are not really that good."

Paige rolled her eyes. "I'll buy you some for Christmas… Talking of presents, we should get on with Finn's party. His birthday is this Saturday, after all."

Tayler packed her things. "It's still Monday, we have time," at Paige's unamused expression she hastily searched for a small notebook and a pen. "Alright, alright. Fire away. Where do we make it?"

They were making a quick guest list when a basketball ball came flying to them and would've hit Tayler straight in the face if it weren't for her quick reflexes. One of the guys came at them with an apology on his lips.

Tayler (and Paige) would have forgiven him even if he had broken her nose. With those eyes, and that hair, and that face, and those arms… ¡Oh, God! The only think better than his arms were the hinting of his abs below that shirt.

"Are you okay?" Kyle Gordon said fixing his concerned blue eyes on her.

Tayler blushed. "I… uh… er…" she coughed. "Yes, I'm fine," she squeaked in the end. "It didn't hit me."

"Oh, thank god," he smiled crookedly. "Your sister would've killed me," he jumped over the seats to go back to the court. "See you later, Tayler!"

Tayler giggled. "He knows my name!"

Paige half glared at her enviously but then looked back at the guys and sighed. "Perhaps it was a bad idea coming here to plan the party."

Tayler tore her eyes off Kyle. "Yeah, perhaps you're right."

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

The young pirate looked around and sighed. If she had known she wouldn't have stopped to watch the puppet show. Now she was lost. And wet and cold.

A light flickered in the pouring rain and Lily felt her hopes rising. Perhaps it was an inn. She could warm a little and maybe even her parents were there.

 _«Benbow Inn_ » read in faded gold letters on top of the door. Yes!

Inside the inn a fire kept the hall warm. The ceiling was high and some stairs leaded to the rooms in the second floor. Lily was expecting the inn to be full of drunken pirates, probably singing songs, but that was not the case.

A young couple smiled on the corner, two parents tried to quiet down their kids, a group of teenagers played dice laughing to themselves. Lily wasn't used to those kinds of places.

Feeling somewhat out of place she approached a lady in apron cleaning one of the tables. The lady smiled warmly at her and her eyes shone with concern when she saw her dripping wet.

"I'm sorry to bother you," Lily said politely. "But you haven't happened to come across a pirate crew? There's a woman with them."

The woman shook her head lightly. "I'm sorry," she smiled. "We don't get many pirates around here. Most of them usually go to the Raven's Bill, that's on the next bay."

Lily deflated. "The next bay?" that sounded like quite the walk. "Well, thank you. Is best if I get going, then."

"Wait, wait, wait," the woman said. "You can't go out in this weather. It's a miracle that you even made it here."

Lily scowled. "But I don't have any money; I can't pay my stay or anything. And I'm sure my parents are waiting for me, they must be _so_ worried…"

"At least wait until it clears up," she begged.

Lily looked at the rain beating the ground relentlessly. It didn't look inviting at all.

"Alright," she conceded looking back at the woman. "If it's no bother…"

The lady smiled. "Do you want something to eat? There are some leftovers I'm sure my son will be kind enough to share with you. He's in the kitchen. Go, tell him I send you."

Feeling like it was better not to argue with the woman she obeyed. The trip to the kitchen was short and she recognized instantly the son of the woman. After all, he was the only one under twenty.

"Hi," she approached him coyly.

The guy, he had to be about around twelve, looked up. "Hi."

"I'm Lily," she extended a hand. "Your mother sent me here."

The boy looked at her up and down. He smiled crookedly and shook her hand. "She sent you for food, didn't she? I'm sure she's keeping you here until the storm clears up."

Lily smiled back. "Wasn't that difficult to guess, was it?"

He moved around the kitchen to find her a bowl and a wooden spoon. "I just know my mother. She always does this," he served her some of the stew form one of the big pots in the fire. "So, what's your story? Where are your parents?"

Lily smiled thankfully and dug into the food. "They're in the other tavern," she told him after making sure there wasn't anything in her mouth. "I got distracted watching some puppets and then I got caught in the storm."

"Tough luck," he said around a spoonful of stew.

Lily laded her head. "Hey, I forgot to ask you… what's your name?"

"Oh, right!" the boy's ears colored. "I'm Jim," he said. "Jim Hawkins."

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"So… a _friend_ , huh? You're totally crushing on him! I mean, I already knew that, but not that you had it this bad."

"Oh, bugger off!"

"You even giggled. You _giggled_ and batted your eyelashes. Next thing I know you'll be singing wishful love songs on the piano."

"Please, don't."

" _I can't stop this feeling. Deep inside of me. Gi-_ "

"I hate you… so much."

" _I-I-I-I-I'm hooked on a feeling_ ," she hummed _._ " _I'm high on believing, that you're in lo-_ Mhmmm"

"Oh, shut up! You don't even sing that good, you're only embarrassing yours- ¡Arghh! You liked me?!"

Tayler crossed her arms. "You should know better than to do that,"

Heidi rolled her eyes. "It was the only way to stop you. I'm sure you'd have started singing _You are my sunshine_."

Tayler snickered at her sister. "I didn't think of that. _You are my sun-_ "

"Don't," Heidi warned.

Her sister sniggered. "Okay," she relented. "But, for the record, I think he likes you too,"

Heidi's face light up. "You do?"

"Aye, he knew my name just because I'm your sister."

Heidi rolled her eyes. "That doesn't mean an-"

Suddenly the whole town shuddered and the two sisters grabbed at each other to keep their balance. Wide eyed, Tayler looked at her sister for an explanation.

"An earthquake?" Heidi suggested. "There's never been one before."

Ruby ran out of Granny's, not far away from where they were standing. She saw them and jogged toward the two girls, worried.

"What was that?" Heidi demanded.

Ruby shook her head. "I don't know, but I think I know where it came from."

The three of them shared a look. "Let's go," Heidi decided.

.

.

One they arrived they saw some people were already there. Marco among them.

"Dad!" Tayler ran to her father. "What happened?"

"What the hell happened here?" Heidi's eyes widened at the sight of the big hole on the ground.

"Wow, it looks like Thor and his hammer landed here," Tayler drawled.

Marco blinked. "Who?"

Tayler rolled her eyes. "It's a comic character. You know Finn's a Marvel fan. Sometimes he lends me some of his favourites."

"Is that a crater?" Ruby asked.

"No, there were tunnels, old mines," Marco gestured towards the mines. "Something collapsed."

"They say curiosity killed the cat, did you know?" Graham told his nieces crossing his arms. He had just arrived with the cruise, Emma Swan on tow.

Heidi rolled her eyes. "Like you expected us to be home sitting quietly."

"I don't think Ty can sit quietly in any circumstance," the Sheriff smirked.

The Mayor strutted toward them, cutting any remark Tayler could have come up with. "Sheriff, set up a police perimeter," she ordered. "Marco, why don't you help with the fire department?"

Marco patted his brother-in-law back on his way. "You should get home, girls," he told them when they trailed off behind him.

"And miss the chance of seeing you as a fireman?" Heidi asked. "No way!"

Tayler giggled. "She's right," then she opened her big blue eyes and pouted a little. "Can't we go with you?"

A knowing glint lightened the man's eyes. "Mmhm… I'll let you come only if you wear a helmet for protection, just in case," and he pointed to Fred Hill, one of the firemen, as an example.

Heidi's eyes widened. "Yeah, no way I'm wearing that horrible thing. If it was red, maybe, but yellow…" she shook her head. "I'll go help Uncle Graham."

Tayler smiled knowingly. "You knew she was gonna say that, right?"

Marco smirked and put a helmet over her hair. "Your sister is too predictable," he knocked twice on the helmet, making Tayler's ears ring at the metal sound. "All ready, then."

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Lily was teaching Jim and the group of teenagers (Barry, Edward, William, Carter, Giles and Michael) how to play liar's dice when de door of the inn burst open. Behind it were Lily's parents and some of the Jolly's crew.

"Mama! Papa!" she called happily. "You went out in this storm?"

Both adults glared at her and Milah strolled across the room to her daughter, cuffed her across the head and then engulfed her in a tight hug.

"You had us so worried," she whispered. "Never do that again!"

Her mother's hands clenched on her shoulders and Lily looked down with remorse. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

Her father kept his stern eyes on her. "Next time tell us where you are going before disappearing like that. You know that's bad f-"

"Killian?"

The little family, and the five pirates that had gone with them, turned their heads towards owner of the inn, who had spoken.

"Sarah?"

Milah and Lily shared a look. Meanwhile Killian had hugged the woman like an old friend and she was returning his big smile.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "Wait… is she _your_ daughter?" she gestured toward Lily.

"Aye, she's mine. Thank you for taking care of her."

The lady smirked. "Who would have thought, huh? Killian Jones getting married and with a kid."

"Huh, were not exactly…" Killian tried to say.

But Sarah was persistent and fast and she was already in front of Milah, hugging her. "I'm so happy he has found someone," she told her. "I thought after Liam he would never find happiness again."

Jim, still sitting on the table, frowned. "Liam? Like my father?"

The pirate sputtered. "Your _father_?" he turned to glare at Sarah. "His father?"

Lily laded her head looking at the boy. "So that means that you are my cousin?"

Jim's eyes widened. "Cou-What?" he turned to his mother. "Mom? What is she talking about?"

Sarah sighed. "This man here is your father's brother, Killian."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Killian sent Sarah an accused glance.

"I found out a couple weeks after Liam's wake. And by then you were a pirate sailing the seas and I didn't know how to contact you."

Killian's face fell. "If I had known… I would have helped, you know that. I'm sorry I wasn't there."

"You're a pirate?!" Jim shouted looking at his newfound cousin.

Lily smiled coyly. "Surprise?"

"Is my father a pirate?" Jim demanded. "Is that why I he abandoned us? Because he's a dirty pirate?"

Killian's jaw clenched. "Your father wasn't a pirate. He was on the Royal Navy and he was a good man."

Jim blinked confused. "Was...?"

Sarah laid a hand on her son's shoulder. "He's dead, sweetie. He died before you were born. That's why he isn't here."

"He's… he's _dead_? Why didn't you tell me?" Jim looked accusingly at his mother.

Sarah's face fell. "I didn't want to cause you unnecessary pain."

Jim frowned. "That's not fair, how could you kee-?"

Jim didn't have the chance to finish his sentence, though, because it was just then when the canon shook the whole inn.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Graham huffed. "You are cheating!"

Tayler snorted. "It's Go Fish, how can I be cheating?"

Her uncle narrowed his eyes. "You must be lying… somehow. Do you have any trees?"

Tayler looked at her cards: three fours, a pair of twos and a pair of eights. "Go fish," she told him.

Graham groaned looking at his card. "I always lose at this game with you, you must do something wrong."

"Do you have any eights?" she asked.

Tayler never knew if he had any eights for then the station phone started to ring.

"Just one second," Graham told her. "Yes?" he asked into the phone. "Emma, something happened?" she could her Emma Swan's voice over the line but the word were incomprehensible. "Where's- … The mines? … Alright then, we're on our way… Just calm down… Have you called Regina? … Yes, just five minutes."

Tayler waited for her uncle to hang up. "What's going on?"

Graham handed her jacket and grabbed his. "Henry and Archie are trapped in the mines."

Tayler blinked. "What? They are _trapped_?"

Graham nodded. "They've collapsed with the two of them inside."

"And Emma-?"

Graham adverted his gaze. "She might be my new deputy."

Tayler's eyebrows went up and then she narrowed her eyes. "You like her, don't you?"

Her uncle smiled shyly. "Maybe?"

"Oh I'm on fire this week. First Heidi, then you…"

Graham's eyes narrowed. "Wait, wait, what about Heidi?"

.

.

There were already a lot of people by the mines when they got there. Most of them were curious neighbors but also some firemen and two distressed mothers.

"Thank God you're here," Emma rushed towards Graham and Tayler when she saw them. "Henry is down there and I don't- I don't…"

"Hey, shhh!" Graham hummed soothingly. "We'll get him out, I promise."

"How did they get down there?" Tayler wondered looking at the pile of rocks covering the entrance to the mine.

Emma's face fell. "He- he was trying to find proof," she whispered brokenly.

Proof? Proof of what?

But then Tayler remembered all those crazy ideas («you're all _cursed_! You just don't remember it!») Henry had started to sprout one day out of nothing and that made him the target for most of the bullies teasing. It hadn't been a pretty sight to see; at least until Henry had learnt it was best for him to keep his mouth shut.

"Tayler!" her father called going to them. "Graham," he nodded at his brother-in-law.

"Hey, Dad! Are you fireman-ing again?" she sniggered.

Marco rolled his eyes. "Very funny," and then he put a yellow helmet on her head.

Tayler sputtered. "What? But… Dad! Nobody is wearing one!"

Emma and Graham tried to hide their grins. They were unsuccessful, though.

"Well, you will wear one because I say so," he crossed his arms. "Or if you'd rather you can go sit with Ruby and Pongo."

The young girl huffed but tied the helmet under her chin. "Okay… are you happy now?"

Her uncle knocked on the yellow metal. "Your father is only worried about you, Ty."

Tayler grumbled under her breath causing the three adults to smile at each other.

"I just hope Henry's okay," Emma sighed.

Marco took pity of the woman. "Archie's smart," he said. "He will keep the boy safe until we get to them."

Not a second after he had finished his sentence the whole world shook and rumbled.

"Watch out!"

Tayler's feet slipped from beneath her and she fell loudly with a squeal. The rocks grazed her clothes and her head clashed hard with the earth, the helmet making a loud clang.

"Tayler!" Graham knelt next to her, followed by her father.

"Ughhh!" she groaned. "That hurt."

Her Uncle smirked. "I'm sure you don't hate that helmet so much now, do you?"

Tayler snorted and accepted her father's hands which helped her up. "Figures it had to be me the only one to fall down."

"Oh, please! Lecture me until his oxygen runs out!" Regina spat furiously to Emma.

Graham cleared his throat. "Why don't you go wait with Ruby?"

"Yeah," Tayler looked at the distressed Mayor. "That's a good idea."

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"Get down!" Killian screamed covering Lily with his body.

The people in the tavern screamed and another cannon blew off the roof. They could hear the sound of shotguns and screams mixed with the torrential rain and loud thunders.

The candles blew out, the only light coming when lightning struck. The wind ransacked the place, howling harsh from the broken windows.

"What's happening?" Carter screamed.

"The town is being raided," Jamie Parker, of the Jolly's crew, said. "By pirates."

"Not us, right?" Lily asked softly.

"No, not us," answered Ryan Thompson looking at her father.

Killian unsheathed his sword. "We have to get back to the ship," he turned to look at the covering people in the inn. "And you must go to your houses, lock the doors, hide everything of value and stay hidden."

They rushed everyone out of the inn, their steps splashing in the muddy puddles. The smell of powder, ash and blood filled the air and Lily coughed.

"We have to get out of here!" Milah screamed.

"Dieeee-arrgh!" one of the pirates, clearly drunk, ran to them with his sword high.

"Killian?" Milah asked calmly.

Her lover unsheathed his sword. "On it!" he jumped to the other man, making quick work of him.

Sarah gasped suddenly. "My locket!" she exclaimed.

"You can get it later, when this is all over. Your inn is full of food, it's the first place they'll go, we have to get you somewhere safe," Milah grabbed her arm.

Sarah struggled free. "You don't understand!" she said. "It's the only thing I've got left from Liam," and she ran back to the inn.

Milah looked between the brown haired woman and her fierce pirate fighting with ease with two other men. She clenched her daughter's shoulders. "Stay here."

The pirate woman also got out her own sword and followed the inn-keeper. And then a high scream rose over the fighting on the streets.

Lily and Jim shared a quick look, they both knew where it had come from. Without another thought the young boy followed his mother steps, a panicked shine in his eyes.

"Papa!" Lily called. "We have to go back at the inn, come on!" and she, like her parents, grabbed her sword (a leaf shaped short blade) and followed her family.

Inside the inn there was chaos, turned tables and chairs, broken glasses and ceramics, spattered food… She caught sight of her cousin quickly ascending upstairs and so she followed.

There was a loud thump and she pushed her legs faster. Her quick reflexes stopped her from running into Jim (and probably impaling him with her sword) who stood frozen on the top of the stairs.

"Jim?" she called, a hand reaching to his back. But then she saw what he was seeing over his shoulder and a horrified gasp left her lips.

Her mother was in the middle of the room, her long sword leaving a burly man's body. Another one breathed heavily near the window, his hand clutching at his bloodied throat.

And then there was Sarah, leaning on the wooden wall. Red stained her dress, ripped down the middle, and her face was an ashy white.

"Mom!" Jim rushed to her side just as her legs gave up under her.

Sarah raised a hand to her son's cheek, leaving a trail of blood on his skin. "Jim, my sweet boy."

"Mom! Mom! Don't leave me! Stay strong! We'll get you a doctor. You'll," his voice broke. "You'll be alright. Come on, Mom."

Sarah smiled. "You have your father's eyes, did you know?" she breathed out and then her gaze unfocused, her body going limp.

"Mom! Mother! Please, Mom! Mommy!" Jim sobbed.

Lily felt a weight on her shoulder and looked up; it was her father. "We have to go," he told them, his voice tight. "We have to take refugee."

Lily felt a knot on her throat. "What will happen to him?" she asked with a small voice.

"He's coming with us," Killian declared with a voice that left no room for disagreements. "He's blood of my blood; we're the only family he has left. He's coming with us," he said again.

And Lily looked back at the new member of the Jolly Roger's crew who was clutching at his mother's body and pleading brokenly between sobs.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"And it was _awesome_! There was so many dust!" Tayler made a big gesture with her arms. "It was kind of like a film."

"And Emma Swan was our James Bond," Marco chuckled.

Tayler's eyes widened at the name of her new hero. "She was amazing. And when she got down the shaft like a _Mission Impossible_ film…"

"Well she did play the part, with all that sliding and everything," Archie made a big gesture.

Emma looked at the small group with curiosity. "Is that Tayler's brother? I thought she and Heidi were the only ones?"

"They are. Marco and Archie are just old friends," Henry answered.

Emma looked at the group again, pensive. "Who are they? I know Archie is Jiminy Cricket but…"

"Marco is Geppeto," Henry said surely.

A smile crossed Emma's lips. "And then Tayler is Pinocchio? I thought he was a boy. Well… you know."

"No, I think…" Henry dug out his book from the tattered backpack. "I'm not really sure who she is but I think she might be Tiger Lily," they both looked at the illustration of Bandit Snow straddling a young girl that might have had a little resemblance with Tayler.

"Tiger Lily? Like in Peter Pan?" each time the curse got crazier and crazier, but she knew better than that. "You really scared me," she told him instead, grabbing softly his arm.

Henry smirked a little. "I'm sorry."

The group of three plus a Dalmatian approached mother and son with big smiles. "Gentleman and lady," she cleared her throat. "Well, come on. Your mom wants to take you home," she started to rise.

Henry stopped mid-motion. "Hey! Listen!"

Tayler looked at her father, clearly wondering what they were listening for.

"Crickets," Archie said surprised.

"They are back," Henry declared. "Things are changing."

Emma's heart fell a little and she shared a look with Archie. Her eyes caught Tayler and she blinked.

"Why are you still wearing a fireman's helmet?" she asked looking at Marco.

Tayler clutched at the helmet. "I've gotten fond of it," she said proudly. "Do you think I can keep it?" she asked her father.

The three adults snorted.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **Don't know where Jim came from. I was just writing and then pooof. He was supposed to be a Jamie or something like that but in the end my brain had other ideas. More messed up family trees yaaaaay!**

 **I hope you liked it.**

 **MW.**


	5. Down below

**Hiiii, did you have a nice week?**

 **Umm… this isn't a good chapter. But you all already knew it was coming I mean, it shouldn't surprise you.**

 **I don't know if I should say** _ **Enjoy**_ **or not. Whatever.**

 **Disclaimer: Nope, not mine.**

 **Down below.**

" _Happy birthday, dear Finn. Happy birthday to you_."

All the kids clapped while the brown haired boy blew out the candles.

"Did you make your wish?" Paige asked.

Finn smiled. "Duh! But I'm not gonna tell you or it won't come true."

"That doesn't matter. The presents!" Tayler exclaimed.

Finn's eyes widened subtly. "I told you, you didn't have…"

Paige rolled her eyes. "We know, we know."

"Dude!" Ethan leaned over the table, nearly falling on top of the chocolate cake. "Open this one first. Is from Clivig, James, Bobby, Porters, Kayden and me."

The blue wrapped box was on Finn's hands before he could say anything. The birthday boy slowly tore the paper apart and opened the box.

"Nike shoes!" the gasp left his lips as he looked at the bright red and white sneakers. "Oh my god, guys! You are awesome!"

James looked at the shoes. "Yours were falling apart. There's no way you can keep playing soccer with those."

Finn smile widened and he fist bumped all of the boys who had taken part in the gift.

Julie pushed Ethan out of the way and trusted another package, this one a bright red, into the boy's arms. "This one is form us; Amyra, Tina, Olivia and me."

It was a blue hoodie with a big pocket in the middle. Like it was expected they all chorused an "Aaaaw" and Finn put it on.

Paige smiled excited. "Here. It's from my parents and I," she told him handing him a small black rectangular box.

Finn frowned, puzzled, and grabbed it to shake it up and down to listen for its possible contents. But Paige guessed his intentions before he could ever blink. "Don't! Careful!" she shouted.

More perplexed than before he unwrapped the present and his breath left him in a surprised gasp when he saw the picture on the box. "Paige…," he started softly.

Paige rolled her eyes. "Don't even start. My Mom has happy to buy this."

The rest of the kids were getting impatient. "What is it?" James demanded.

"It's a PSP," Finn said with awe.

All the boys let out surprised and excited shouts. "Let me see, let me see!"

"Wait!" Tayler screamed. "Before you get it out and start playing I want to give you my gift."

Finn deposited the PSP back on the table with a sad scowl. His face lightened, though, when he saw Tayler's gift. It was by far the biggest one and had a strange, trapezium shape.

"What is it?" he asked.

Tayler smiled cheekily. "You'll know if you open it."

Finn stuck out his tongue at her but accepted the gift and tore the paper. Slowly a skateboard was revealed to the present faces. It was made from two different tones of polished wood with plastic blue wheels in one side and shiny sandpaper on the other.

"This way you can stop asking for Kayden's," she told him.

Finn opened and closed his mouth like a fish. "You guys are the best," he announced somewhat choked up. "This is the best birthday ever!"

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

With careful eye Lily chopped the last of the potatoes and smiled. Stubbs Cotton, the cook, smiled at her with twinkling eyes.

"Good job, lass. Wanna stir 'da stew?"

Lily wrinkled her nose. "Can I go?" she asked. "I wanna play with Mama."

The man chuckled. "Sure ya can. Off with ya."

"Thank you!"

The girl scurried over the stairs eager to get some fresh air. She had spent most of the morning helping Stubbs out in the galley preparing lunch and some of the dinner. Her Mama said it was a way to keep her busy and away from the mast.

"Someday you'll have your own ship," her father would tell her when she told him she didn't want to cook. "And you need to know how to take care of it. Every part of it. You should even learn how to scrub the deck."

And then Lily would always disappear behind her mother's legs before her father could tell her to grab a mop and a bucket.

"She's four," Mama would say. "She has to be playing around."

"Well, then next time _you_ should catch her before she falls from the yards," Papa would grumble.

Strong arms caught her when she stepped foot on the deck. "And where are you going, Flower?"

Lily huffed deflating on her father's arms. "I was just gonna…"

"Climb all over the mast once again?" Papa guessed with an amused scowl.

"Maybe?"

Killian sighed and looked down at the kid on his arms with disapproval. "Flower…"

Lily pouted. "Please, Papa?"

Her father shook firmly his head. "Run along and go with Edward, I believe he's manning the helm and perhaps we will let you help him," he released her and crouched until their eyes were at the same level. "But only if you promise to behave and to stay put."

If there was one thing that Lily loved more than climbing up the masts of the ship was to be at the helm and steer the _Jolly Roger_. Although she didn't do much, just hold the helm while the waters were calm and there wasn't anything to do.

"I promise," Lily assured. "I'll be good."

Killian smiled warmly. "Alright then, off you go," he ruffled her hair.

Lily giggled and ran through the not-really busy pirates on the deck and up the stairs leading to the helm at the aftcastle.

"'Dward, 'dward," she called panting when she was next to the one-eyed pirate. "Papa said I could help you."

Edward Keaway smiled, not really surprised. "Oh, did he?"

"Aye, aye," Lily nodded. "Can I? Please?" she threw her hands up in direction to the wheel.

Edward chuckled. "Alright young lady. You shall be my guide."

He picked her up and sat her on the pedestal in front of the wheel. Her feet dangled in the air and the wind whipped her hair all around her.

"Forgive me for my silliness but can you remember which side was port?"

"How can you forget?" Lily giggled. "That's so easy," and she pointed left with her whole arm.

"And what was the other side called?" he asked.

"Starboard!" and she pointed right. " _Star light, star bright, starboard is on the right_ ," she chanted.

Edward's eye twinkled and he turned the wheel two notches to the left. Slowly the ship turned.

"Alright little guide," he called. "We should be going straight north. But I can't remember where north is right now. Can you help me?"

Lily looked around, lost. "Umm…"

"Why don't we use the sun?" he suggested. "Okay, so it's past noon and if we watch the shadows, well, that should tell us something."

"The side where it goes to sleep?" Lily said.

The man laughed at her expression. "Very well, the side where it sets. What do we do with that?"

Lily's lips furrowed. "The sun sleeps on the West and wakes up on the East. That's the West," she pointed. " _North in front of where you are, it's just pointing to the star. South is just the other side, always take it in stride. Let's not forget the left, that's where you have the West. And last of all is the right, which is where the East just lies_ ," she sung.

Edward held a snigger at the rhyme Captain Jones had invented for his daughter. "Very well."

"So that's the west," she said. "And then…" her brows furrowed as she thought, singing the song to herself. "'tis the north!"

Edward Keaway laughed at her happiness. "Very good," he congratulated her. "Now, are we going north?"

Lily shook her head. "You have to turn to port!"

"As you command!" and he turned the wheel to the left, making the ship turn.

Lily gasped. "What are you doing? You're going the wrong side!"

Edward faked confusion. "But I thought you said port was left and so I've turned left!"

Lily frowned. "Silly 'Dward. You have to do it the other way. Now turn to port… the wheel on the right."

Edward chuckled and obeyed, straightening the ship's course. "Now it's good?"

"Sail ho!" came a voice from the crow's nest. "On starboard!"

All the heads turned to see a ship in the horizon with bright sails.

"What's the flag?" Captain Jones called.

The answer took a couple of long, tense seconds. "A blood flag, O' Captain! And they're heading towards us!"

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"Freedooooom!" Tayler sang happily. "At last!"

Finn joined her on the steps of the school. "Fridaaaaaay!"

Paige hanged back embarrassed and looked at them from the corner of her eye. "Nope," she said loudly. "Don't know who they are? What do you mean I'm always with them? I've never seen these two crazy kids before in my life!"

Tayler sniggered and hugged her friend's arm. "Oh, come on! You love us! And you're happy too that it's finally Friday."

"Okay, maybe a little," Paige relented with a small smile.

"SHE'S HUMAN!" Finn announced to the world.

Paige blushed to the roots of her hair. "Oh my God!" she slapped his arms. "Shut up, please."

Tayler and Finn laughed high-fiving each other.

"How about we have a sleepover tomorrow night at your house, huh?" Tayler asked passing an arm over Paige's shoulders. "We can even let Finn join, too."

Finn rolled his eyes. "Well, thank you."

Both girls snickered and Finn pouted in mock indignation. "A sleepover would be great," Paige said. "Even with Finn."

"Hey!" he protested. "I don't even know why I'm friends with you two."

Tayler punched him lightly on the arm. "Because we are a-we-so-me. Do you want to hang out in the park? Maybe you'll finally get to do a kickflip."

"Aren't you going surfing?" Finn asked leaning on the wall next to the bus stop while Tayler jumped to sit on it.

Tayler made a face. "Dad says it's too cold to be in the water."

"Well, it's mid-November," Paige reasoned.

"I've got my wetsuit! And besides, the water is still warm."

Paige and Finn shared a look. "Whatever," they said at the same time.

"Anyways, are we going to the park then?" Finn asked.

Paige shook her head. "I can't, my mother is taking me shopping."

Tayler's eyebrows rose. "Again?"

"You know my mother."

Tayler snorted. "Hey!" she said suddenly. "Where's my bag?"

The three of them looked around. "You must have left it back at the classroom," Paige said.

"Shoot! I have the life science book for the essay there," she jumped out of the wall.

Paige frowned. "But you'll miss the bus," she said.

"What else can I do?" she asked not really expecting an answer and started to run back to the school. "I'll see you at the park!" she shouted back to Finn.

The corridors were deserted and Tayler was back at the classroom in no time, maybe she could even catch the bus. She was about to burst into the room when some voices stopped her.

"-life. Things get hazy."

There was a pause, in which Tayler pressed herself closer to the door, and then. "Have I ever hurt you?"

Tayler blinked. Uncle Graham? What was he doing there?

"Oh, Graham, no. Of course not," Miss Blanchard said. "What's going on?"

"Do you believe in other lives?" Uncle Graham asked his voice wavering.

"Mmh… Like heaven?"

"I mean like past lives."

Tayler frowned, her Uncle didn't sound good. And what was he doing in the school, asking Miss Blanchard those weird questions? She felt a pang of worry in her stomach.

"-this book of stories," Miss Blanchard was saying. "He has been going on about how he thinks we are all characters from them, from another land. And we've forgotten who we really are," there was a short silence. "Which, of course, makes no sense."

"Right," Uncle Graham said. "No, of course," but he didn't sound very convinced.

"Graham," Miss Blanchard called and Tayler could hear her uncle breathing heavily. "You are burning up."

Tayler decided she had already been snooping long enough so she knocked on the door. Both adults turned to look at her. "Tayler!" Miss Blanchard exclaimed worried and relieved at the same time.

"Ty," her Uncle wiped at his cheek. Had he been _crying_? "What are you doing here?"

"I-I forgot my bag," Tayler gulped down a sudden knot at her throat. "Uncle? What's going on?"

The Sheriff got up on his feet. "Nothing."

"I think your uncle is coming down with something," Miss Blanchard told her handing the young girl her bag. "Have you lost the bus?"

Tayler looked out of the window and to the suddenly empty yard. "It looks like it."

"Well, Graham can take you home. He should stay at his, too. Get some rest," she turned to the man. "I think you'll feel much better."

Uncle Graham nodded. "Right, you're absolutely right. I'm sorry I've disturbed you. Thank you. Let's go, Ty."

Tayler took him in (disheveled hair, bags under his eyes, sweaty skin) and shared a worried look with her teacher. Miss Blanchard nodded once, her face serious, and grabbed the phone on her desk.

Tayler knew she was about to call Emma Swan and so she followed her uncle out of the classroom.

"Can you leave me at the park?" she asked. "The boys are there and we're teaching Finn some skate tricks."

Graham opened the shotgun door from the cruise for her. "As long as I don't have to arrest you," he joked without any humor in his eyes.

The ride to the park was unusually quiet and Tayler started to worry about her uncle. But she didn't know what to say and she started to play with the radio, changing from station to station.

"We're here," he announced not long after.

Tayler hesitated before opening the door. "I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

Uncle Graham blinked. "Tomorrow?"

"It's Saturday," one Saturday each month they all had a barbecue together.

"Oh, of course," he shook his head and smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. "I'll be there," he promised.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Captain Killian Jones cursed under his breath and lowered the spyglass. "Captain Fletcher's," he said.

The crew murmured displeased around him and his eyes travelled to his lover's. Milah bit her lip and her gaze wandered toward Lily, sitting on the pedestal of the helm with a confused expression.

Killian evaluated his chances of outrunning the other ship. Not good when the wind blew in the direction on the enemy's vessel. In fact the other ship, bigger and heavier, was only moving towards them thanks to the oars.

"All right, mates!" he called. "We all remember what happened last time we met Captain Fletcher and the _The Black Arrow_ ," he made a face of displeasure. "But this time we are ready! This time that gormless maggot learns that the _Jolly_ 's crew is not one to mess up with!"

Said crew roared in agreement. "Let's give them hell!" shouted Jamie Parker.

"Aye!" the others agreed.

Killian jumped over to the helm with a frown on his face. "Keaway," he grabbed Edward's arm. "Keep her safe," his eyes fleeted to Lily.

"With my life, Captain," he swore.

Killian nodded solemnly. "Turn her around."

Edward obeyed and steered the ship so the cannons where facing it's approaching enemy.

"Load the guns!" the Captain called.

"Load the guns!" Ryan Thompson replied.

Killian turned towards the man on the helm. "Keep her steady, if they aboard us take Lily below deck."

"Aye, Captain."

Not after long the other ship was on their firing range and the Captain shouted the order to fire. Lily had to cover her ears at the noise, as did most of the crew, and then she squealed in fright when the other ship retaliated.

The two vessels exchanged cannons for a few minutes, until they were close enough to jump over.

"Prepare to board!" Killian called unleashing his sword. "Hands, grapnels at the ready!"

Jamie Parker was the first one to jump over the other ship, clutching tightly one of the lines. He stumbled onto the enemy deck and slashed at the pirates around him with his cutlass.

And then all hell broke loose.

"Lily!" Edward called. "Come on! We have to get below deck!"

"YAAARGHH!" a short pirate landed next to them and jumped over Edward.

The one-eyed pirate didn't even flinch and he dispatched the other man within seconds. He turned towards Lily, shirt splashed with blood, and handed her a hand.

"We have to get out of here," he told her. "Now!"

They were almost on the hatch when two more pirates surrounded them.

"Go!" Edward told her. "Hide!"

But his words were cut short by the attack of both men at the same time. Lily slowly backed away, but her eyes could not leave the scene playing in front of her.

It almost seemed like a dance. Edward moved fluidly between the two pirates, blocking and dodging their blades. With his cutlass he pierced one of the man's stomach, who fell down the floor with a groan.

Taking advantage of Edward's distraction the other man plunged his sword through his neck. Lily's eyes widened and a cry left her lips.

"Oh, a little girl!" the man purred. "Will you dance for me?"

And he lunged with his sword at her feet. Lily screamed and jumped away from the blade, but he followed her laughing to himself. She felt the tears running through her checks and that only made him happier.

"Come on! Jump, little girl! Jump for me!" and he would try to cut her toes.

His laughs became a gurgle when a sword went through his chest, a mouthful of blood escaping from his mouth.

Behind the man, Killian pushed down the body to free his sword. His expression was ballistic; raging eyes, heavy breaths, clenched jaw.

"No one," he told the convulsing body. "touches my child."

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Tayler narrowed her eyes; one ear was bigger than the other. She grabbed the rubber, ready to fix that mistake.

"We have to put up the telly in the tree house," she told her dad.

Tayler and Heidi were in the kitchen table, each to their own thing (though Heidi's looked more like complicated math), and Marco was grabbing some plates for their almost midnight pizza snack.

Marco rolled his eyes. "I know, I know. You have told me a thousand times," he looked at her. "Here," he put a plate with two slices in front of each girl.

Tayler pushed away her plate. "I'm not really hungry."

"Are you in love?" Heidi teased.

Tayler wrinkled her nose, fighting a blush. "No!"

Heidi leaned in with a smirk. "Oh gods! You're blushing! Who's the guy?"

"There's no one! Shut up! _You_ 're making me blush!"

Heidi laughed and grabbed one extra cheesy slice. "You're so easy to rile up."

"So… then there's no guy?"

"Oh my God! No! Dad!"

Marco nodded relieved and both girls shared an amused yet exasperated look. "We can't put the TV until Monday after you come from school. We'll do it then."

"I would help, but I have my piano lesson," Heidi said without sounding really sorry.

"And I see that makes you oh-so-sad," Tayler snorted.

Marco's phone rang, startling the little family. "It's Graham," he announced.

"He probably wants to ask what does he have to bring for tomorrow," Heidi said.

Tayler scowled. "At least he tries to help."

Heidi turned to look at her. "And what does that mean?"

"You never do anything! It's always me!"

"Because you don't let me. When I come down it's everything already done."

Tayler huffed. "Like that upsets you. It's impossible that you need two full hours to get ready for a family barbeque."

"Unlike _someone_ I care for my looks."

"You only don't want to wash the dishes!"

"Last time I set the table!"

"Oh! What is the world coming to? You set the table! Did you break a nail?"

Marco came back, stopping their bickering. His face was pale and worried and he clutched tightly at his cellphone.

"Dad? What's going on?" Heidi asked, her voice wavering.

Marco gulped. "It was Emma Swan from Graham's phone. Your uncle has had a heart attack."

Both girls paled. "Is he alright?" Heidi asked.

Marco looked at them, pain in his eyes, and he shook his head. "Grab your jackets, I'll start the car."

"Wait," Heidi called. "Are we going to the hospital?"

"No."

Tayler gulped, feeling a knot in her throat. "Where are we going?" she asked with a small voice.

"To the funeral home," he answered grimly.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Lily dozed on her mother's embrace. The battle hadn't lasted long and they defeated the _Black Arrow_ 's crew rather quickly.

"Mama," Lily opened her eyes a little. "It's over?"

Milah sighed and hugged her closer. "Yes, it is," she kissed her hair.

"I was scared," she confessed.

"Me too, love-bug, me too."

Lily fidgeted until she could see her mother's face. "Where's 'Dward?"

Milah's grip tightened. "He… he's gone."

"Gone? Where? When will he be back?" she demanded.

Milah took a deep breath. "He's not coming back, Lily. Ever."

Lily's eyes widened. "Never ever?"

"He's dead, love-bug."

Lily scrunched her nose. "What's that?"

"I… It means that he has gone to another place, a better one. He's in heaven now, with the stars. But the thing is he can't come back to visit."

The little girl's eyes filled with tears. "So I'll never see him again?"

Milah's heart broke at the pain in her daughter's eyes. "Well, you can see him every time you close your eyes," she told her in a confidential whisper. "Because he might be gone but he will always be right here," and she pressed a hand over her daughter's heart. "in your heart."

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

He looked like he was just sleeping. Like a good shove would wake him up and he would be smiling and ruffling her hair once again.

But it wouldn't. He was dead, after all.

"I-I can't believe he-he's really-y d-dead," Heidi sobbed clutching tightly at the wood of the coffin.

Tayler wiped her silent tears, but more took their place. Reality had come crashing down on both sisters at seeing their Uncle's body and they had broken down.

"I-I don't understand," Heidi said letting go of the coffin. "Yes-terday he was f-fine b-but no-ow he's g-gone for go-good."

Tayler grabbed her sister's hand. "He's not really gone, you know?" he told her.

Heidi turned to her, a frown in her reddened face. "He's dead, Ty. He's not coming back."

"But that doesn't mean he's really gone. We can see him every time we close our eyes, and we can hear him whenever we want to. He might be dead a-and he m-may not b-be coming ba-back," she started sniffing. "but he's still i-in our he-hearts. He will a-always be. A-and as long a-as he is, a p-part of him will s-still be a-alive."

Heidi hugged her little sister with all the strength of her arms. "Oh, Ty."

And Tayler hid her face on her sister's neck and cried.

 **.**

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 **.**

 **.**

 **I told you it was a hard chapter, it's even longer than usual. Graham's dead is always sad.**

 **What did you think? Have you cried?**

 **MW**


	6. It's storming outside

**IT'S HEREEEEEE.**

 **Man, I'm on a roll. This isn't a happy chapter either (Sorrynotsorry).**

 **Disclaimer: Sadly I don't own OUAT, but I'd like to.**

 **It's storming outside.**

The eyes started to take shape. The lashes, the iris, the eyelids… Then came the nose, carefully shaded, and the lips, chapped and dry. The stubble all the way to the hair and the neck.

"Tayler," a soft voice said.

Tayler looked up from her drawing, finding the concerned gaze of Miss Blanchard. "Huh? I was listening," she promised.

"The bell rang five minutes ago," she told her.

"It did?" Tayler blinked, suddenly taking in the empty classroom. "Where are Paige and Finn?" she asked.

"You've told them to leave without you, that you'll catch up."

"I… I did?" Tayler had no memory of that.

Miss Blanchard sat next to the young girl. "Do you want to talk? Maybe it's too early for you to come back to school."

Tayler scowled and she looked down at the table. "I'm fine."

Miss Blanchard leaned in closer. "It's okay to feel pain, Tayler. It's not even been a week."

Tayler's jaw clenched. "Can I go?" she asked.

Miss Blanchard sighed. "Of course, it's recess,"

The girl stood up, making the chair scrap loudly against the floor. "Thanks for the talk," she told her politely.

Miss Blanchard nodded, knowing she hadn't done anything to help the girl. "You're welcome. I'll see you after lunch."

And Tayler disappeared through the door with a speed worthy of an Olympic runner. Mary Margaret sighed again, her heart clenching at the pain in one of her student's eyes.

They all were like her own kids, after all.

She looked down at the drawing Tayler had been making during the class. Mary Margaret had been looking out for her all morning knowing the girl was going through a rough time.

A soft gasp left her lips.

On a sheet of paper was an almost finished drawing of Sheriff Graham. It was remarkable how Tayler had managed to capture the smallest things on the paper; like the twinkle in his eyes, the twitch of his lips or even the warmth of his expression.

"Oh, Tayler…" she chocked up, her fingers caressing the drawing.

It was obvious that little girl was missing her uncle and Mary Margaret wished there was something she could do to help her deal with her loss.

With a sad look on her eyes the young teacher searched in her student's bag until she found her file folder. It was covered with drawings and the names of most of the kids in the class and almost falling to pieces.

Mary Margaret tucked in the drawing in the folder. It was something precious to keep out of harm.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"But I don't want to sleep," Lily whined.

Milah raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you a little old for this?"

She crossed her arms. "Exactly! I can go to the tavern like Papa and the rest!"

"No, you can't. A tavern is not a place for a little girl."

Lily pouted. "I'm not a little girl! I'm eight! And you met Papa on a tavern!"

Her mother laughed. "But I was much older than you are now, love-bug," she tapped her nose. "You don't have any business in a place like that."

Lily huffed. "Can I stay up until they come back?" she begged.

Milah couldn't say no to those big blue eyes; her father's eyes. "Alright," she relented. "But the minute they get back you are going straight to bed. Do I make myself clear?"

"Aye, aye," she smirked. "Can we go to the deck and watch the stars some more?"

Milah looked at her knowingly. "You just want to finish the star-map your father gave you."

"Well, it much better than Greek. I don't know when that could be useful, no one speaks it anymore!"

Milah snorted. "Your father just wants to teach you everything he knows."

"Honestly, I could do without scrubbing the deck."

And her mother laughed.

.

.

"They're back!" Lily ran over the railing to see the approaching men. "Do you think Papa got me that new sketchbook I asked for?"

"So _that_ 's why you wanted to stay up so badly!"

Lily rolled her eyes. "I love Papa, but not _that_ much."

Milah laughed. "Don't let him hear you say that."

Usually the men would be clearly drunk, walking loud and boisterous through the gangplank. That night, though, a heavy silence weighted over them.

"Papa, Papa," Lily called rushing to the man. "Did you get it?"

Killian blinked at her sudden appearance. "Get what?"

Lily looked at him like he had asked something really stupid. "The sketchbook I've been nagging you about for _weeks_."

A small smile crossed his lips although it didn't reach his eyes. "Oh, _that_ sketchbook," he made a show of looking through the pockets of his coat. "Here."

Lily squealed and ripped the book from her father's hands. "Thank you! You are the best!" she kissed his cheek.

"Lily," Milah called. "You promised," she reminded her.

Lily knew better than to argue and so she dragged herself, painfully slow, below deck. Her father watched her go, a sad look on his eyes.

Milah took notice of that. "My love," she approached softly. "What's wrong?"

He looked away from their daughter. "Nothing," he said with a half-hearted smile. "What are you two doing up?"

Milah smiled softly amused. "Your daughter wanted to wait for you. She really wanted that book."

Killian chuckled, his eyes travelling to where his daughter had disappeared. "She's a stubborn lass," he looked at her from the corner of his eye. "I wonder who she reminds me off."

"Don't look at me, she gets it from you."

He smiled sadly and kissed without a warning. Not that Milah was complaining.

"What was that for?" she asked.

"Can't I just kiss you because I love you?"

She stared hard at him, not at all convinced. "I love you too," she said in the end.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"… and Julie told me that Tina was seeing Ethan," Paige was chattering. "And you know how Julie is about Ethan… She was _so_ angry… That's why they haven't been talking since. And since Olivia is Tina's BFF and Amyra is Julie's they have all split up."

Tayler nodded, her gaze focused on the street where all were waiting for the bus to appear. "Uh-uh. Very nice."

Paige bit back a snappy retort, knowing that her friend was going through a bad time. "Yeah. Two of the four are probably going to stick with us and make us go to their side while the other two glare at us like we betrayed them."

There wasn't any kind of response.

"Ty," Paige called in the end. "You know you can talk to me, right?" she asked when her friend looked at her.

Tayler sighed. "I know. I just need to… deal with it by myself first."

"Oh, no!" Paige exclaimed, her gaze set on the distance. "Not again."

Tayler's eyes went to where Paige was looking. Finn and one of his half-brothers were fighting once again while two more half-siblings watched from the wings. It wasn't all that uncommon, but usually those fights where reserved to the quietness of their home.

"Let's go," Tayler said standing up.

Usually those fights ended in violence, well, Finn got pretty beat up and Tayler and Paige were the ones in charge of getting him to the hospital. In fact the beating up part had already started and Finn now clutched his stomach with a bright red mark on his cheek.

But when they were about to arrive, making their way to the crowd that was steadily forming around the brothers, someone else decided to intervene.

"Leave him alone!" Henry shouted putting himself between Finn and his brothers.

"Oh, bloody hell!" Tayler exclaimed.

Mark, Finn's half-brother, smirked. "What's this, Finn? Have you got yourself a boyfriend?" he looked closely at Henry. "Oh! It's the fairytale kid!" he exclaimed happily. "I thought you knew better than that, dear brother. Which one of you is Prince Charming and who is the Princess?"

Tayler could see Finn's cheek trembling and Henry's eyes filling with tears. She felt hot fury boiling deep in her stomach and she jumped straight in front of the three bullies.

"Hey!" she called pushing Mark away from Henry. "Sod off!" and she crossed her arms, trying to show courage.

Mark and his two brothers (Jack and Richard) took a short look at her and started laughing. Tayler frowned and clenched her teeth.

"Look! Here comes your knight in shining armor!" Jack said making his brothers and most of the crowd laugh.

"Why don't you mind your own business, huh?" Mark told her.

"Why don't you pick on somebody your own size?" Tayler hissed. "Oh, wait! There aren't any more whales in this school!"

It was a low blow; making fun of Mark's overweight. He wasn't really fat, but he was really hung up about his weight.

Mark's eyes narrowed and his brothers took a step forward. "Ty!" Finn hissed. "I can take care of myself."

"I can see that," Tayler bit back with sarcasm.

"I don't want to get into a fight with a little girl," Mark told her angrily. "Step back, this doesn't concern you."

Tayler stood her ground. "It does when you're messing with my friends!"

Mark leaned in. "This is not your fight. Why don't you go back to crying like a good little bitch? You're the only one that's going to miss that stupid Sheriff anyway," he spat.

Tayler's body shook with fury. "Don't. You. Talk. About. My uncle," she hissed through clenched teeth. "You, bastard!"

And then she jumped at him, making them both tumble to the ground, and she started hitting him everywhere.

"Hey! Stop it! Somebody get her _off_!" he shouted.

Richard grabbed her arms and tugged. She kicked everything her legs reached. Richard dropped her with a squeal when her heel crashed against his knee.

His reaction was to punch her in the face.

Tayler retaliated by going behind him, twisting his wrist and making him fall to his knees.

And then loud sirens blasted through the street and the acting Sheriff stepped out the police cruise. The crowd around the fighting kids (because Finn and Mark had once again started a fight with Henry trying to help the younger boy) dissolved within seconds and Emma Swan had no trouble getting to them.

"What the hell is going on here?" she asked.

Tayler dropped Richard's wrist like it had burned her. The boy fell face-first in the ground and let out a loud groan.

"Hey, Emma!" Henry said with fake cheeriness. "Nice to see you here."

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Lily glared at Thomas Mullins, who was calmly freeing one of the lines from all the knots and carefully greasing it as he went.

"What?" he asked with fake innocence.

"Where are my parents?" Lily asked with a huff.

"Have you checked their quarters?" he went back to his rope.

"Yes!" Lily whined. "And they aren't there."

"Well, I don't know where they are," he said nonchalantly.

Lily had played poker with the crew enough times to know when they were trying to hide something. "You're lying!" she told him. "What's happening? Where are they?"

Thomas pressed his lips together to keep himself from saying something. Lily huffed and her eyes searched for her cousin. Jim couldn't hide anything from her.

But before she could say anything she heard someone on the dock. Lily leaned over the bannister of the ship, looking down.

Her mother was carrying her father, helping him cross over to the ship. Lily's eyes widened and she bit her lip with worry.

Ryan Thompson was next to her, also concerned. "Milah, what happened?"

Her mother threw him a bright red hat. "Fetch some water," she ordered. "And get me that prisoner from below deck along with the booty he carried. Now!"

Lily rushed to her father's side. "Mama! What's happening? Is Papa alright?"

A man –if he could be called that, for his skin was gold and glittered under the sun– also stepped on deck, glaring at Lily like she had spit on his soup. "Well, well, seems like you finally found the family you could never have with me," he said.

Milah squeezed her daughter's hand and stepped in front of her. Bill Jukes dragged one man gagged and tied up to the deck. "Alright," he grunted. "Get your sorry ass up there."

Lily was feeling rather lost. When had that man gotten there? Who was he? What happened to her father? Who was the scaly-man?

She tugged at her mother's sleeve. "Mama? What's going on?"

Milah caressed her cheek. "Go with your father," she ordered and then grabbed a pouch Ryan offered her.

Lily ran to her father's side. "Papa?"

Killian, somewhat more recovered, passed an arm over her shoulders. "I'm fine, flower," he said.

"What's hap-?" her words were cut short by a flying small transparent thing her father caught mid-air.

"You asked to see it, now you have," he said with a low voice.

Milah breathed. "Do we have a deal? Can we go our separate ways?"

The man looked at her mother. "Do you mean, do I forgive you?" he started to pace.

Lily could see her father pocketing the thing -a bean- in his pocket but he closed his fist like he still had it there. Her mother caught their eyes, staring hard, and Killian nodded once.

"-on? Perhaps, perhaps," the man was saying. "I can see you are," he turned to face them. "truly in love. A perfect little family."

"Thank you," her mother said and turned to star walking towards them.

The man halted her steps. "Just one question."

Milah turned. "What do you want to know?"

"How could you leave Bae?" he asked pointing accusingly at her.

And suddenly Lily realized who that man was. He was Rumplestiltskin, her mother's husband and Baelfire's father. The ship started to rock even though the waters were calm one second ago and some of the rigging clanked and got loose, shooting up in the air.

"Do you know what it was like walking home that night-"

Her mother's eyes were wide. "Rumple."

"-knowing that I had to tell _our_ son-"

"Please," she begged.

But he pressed on. "-that his mother was dead?"

Milah's voice tried to be calming. "I was wrong to lie to you," she said. "I was the coward. I knew that."

Rumplestiltskin pointed at her once again. "You left him! You abandoned him!" his eyes found Lily once again. "You _traded_ him for someone else!"

Lily felt her father's arm on her shoulder push her closer to his side.

Milah's eyes flashed. "I didn't trade him!" she shouted. "But you're right," her voice calmed. "I left him. And there's not a day that goes by that I don't feel sorry for that."

That made him even angrier. "Sorry isn't enough!" he breathed heavily and then walked towards Milah, his voice quieter. "You let him go."

She was lightly shaking her head. "I let my misery cloud my judgment."

The man looked at her up and down. "Why were you so miserable?" he asked disgusted.

"Because I never loved you," she spat.

Lily could see that was clearly a mistake. Disgust turned to pain in the man's eyes and then to anger. Before anyone could say something he sank his hand into her mother's chest.

Lily was horrified. "Mama!" she screamed jumping over to help her in time with her father.

With a wave of Rumplestiltskin free hand she was sent flying through the air. Luckily she landed in the middle of the crew, who caught her carefully.

"Let me go!" she shouted wriggling in their hold.

Her mother's bright red heart beat in the man's hand. Her father shouted panicked and Lily squirmed even more. "Let me go!" she sobbed.

Her mother fell to her knees and her father caught her. Suddenly her body went limp and the wind blew dust from Rumplestiltskin hand; what used to be her mother's heart.

"No! Mama! _Mama_!" she kicked her captor in his lower stomach and ran to her mother's side. "Mama!" she shook her. "Please! Mama!" her eyes were wide. "Wake up! Wake up, please!"

"-what I came for now," the man said and Lily raised her head.

His father stood bravely. "You'll have to kill me first."

"Ah-ah! I'm afraid that's not in the cards for you, sonny boy," with one fluid move he unsheathed his sword and cut off her father's hand, who fell in one knee with a shout.

"Papa!" she screamed.

The man walked towards her and stopped right in front of the young girl. "I should kill you, too," he hissed. "But I'll let you live, for now. I'll come back, though" he giggled. "You'll see what your brother had to go through," he turned back to her father. "I want you to suffer like I did."

Killian gulped, hard, and glanced at her daughter heartbroken and scared sitting on the floor. Furious, he picked up a hook that had fallen from the rigging and stuck it on the devil's chest.

He giggled once again. "Killing me is gonna take a lot more than that, dearie."

"Even demons can be killed. I will find a way," Killian promised.

Rumplestiltskin glanced at Lily. "Are you sure you want to do that?" he smirked. "Well, anyway, good luck living long enough," he told him before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

The hook clanked as it fell to the floor.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Tayler swung her legs pressing an ice compress against her lower lip. Beside her, Finn did the same with a bruised eye and the other side of the room Mark pressed a cloth against his nose to stop the bleeding, Richard clutched at his wrist and Jack scowled at them, also sprouting a soon-to-be black eye.

Henry was sitting at his mother's desk while she carefully cleaned a cut over his eye, a strange look on her face.

Finn's mother crashed into the room, glaring at all her sons. "Come on, we're going home," she glanced at Emma. "Thank you for calling, Sheriff."

"I'm not- Don't you want to…" but Miss. Williams had already left the building her four sons behind her.

Emma Swan blinked. "Oookay," she chanted. "That was weird."

"Miss Swan," Tayler said. "Have you called my father?"

Emma Swan turned to look at her. "Yes, I have. He has the right to know if his daughter gets into a fight."

Tayler huffed. "It's not like it's the first time. Those tossers," she grumbled to herself. "It was nothing, really."

The Sheriff seemed amused. "You sprained that boy's wrist," she said somewhat impressed. "And you broke the other one's nose."

An excited smile crossed over Henry's face. "That was so cool!"

Emma Swan scowled. "No, it wasn't cool! Your mom is going to kill me," she groaned.

Henry blinked, perplexed. "But is not your fault."

She rolled her eyes. "You know your mom," she told him. "She's probably going to say something about how I am a bad influence and stuff like that."

Just then the Mayor broke into the room with a furious scowl in her face with deepened when she saw the Band-Aid on Henry's brow. "What the hell happened?"

"He got into a fight," Miss Swan said.

The Mayor pursed her lips. "A fight? With her?" she asked pointing towards Tayler.

"No, I think he was helping her," she said.

Henry snorted. "More like the other way around," he muttered.

The Sheriff glared at him and he closed his mouth. "It was against three of the Boyle kids… along with Miss. William's son," she looked perplexed at the complicated family.

Regina Mills narrowed her eyes. "This is your fault, Miss Swan," she said and Tayler had to look hard at the floor and evade Henry's gaze for she knew otherwise she'd burst out laughing. "Before you came Henry had never gotten into any fights. Clearly your violent tendencies are having an influence in him," and she looked at the matching Band-Aids in the mother and son's foreheads. "Let's go, Henry. You should never see this woman again."

The Sheriff waited until the Mayor and their son had stepped out the room to let out a frustrated scream and throw the files on the desk to the floor.

"You're not," Tayler said softly, lowering her ice compress.

Emma looked at her. "What?"

"You're not a bad influence for him. He's happier now than these last months. You make him happy."

Miss Swan eyes were suspiciously red. "Don't think that gets you out of trouble."

Tayler's eyes widened in mock fear. "Are you going to put me in jail?"

She snorted. "Of course not, but I don't think your father will be happy."

As if summoned Marco stepped into the room. He crossed his arms, exasperated, but Tayler could see sadness in his eyes.

"Tayler," he sighed.

She suddenly felt ashamed. "Dad…"

He walked towards her and crouched. "You can't keep going on like this," he said. "It's almost been a week."

"Going on like what?"

Marco sighed. "Tayler, you don't eat and hardly sleep. You don't laugh anymore and you're just… empty. I know you miss him and that he was like another father to you, but you _have_ to keep living, Ty. Talk to me, please, we can fix this."

Tayler stood up, pushing him away. "That's not true! We can't! I told Heidi he wasn't really gone but that's a lie! He's dead and he's not coming back!" she shouted.

Marco sighed. "That's what I'm talking about, Tayler. You need to deal with this. And I don't think you can do it alone."

Tayler blinked suddenly suspicious. "What do you mean?"

Marco breathed in. "I think you should start seeing Archie."

Tayler stepped back, hurt and shocked. "What? Do you want me to see a _bloody shrink_?" her eyes were wide open. "I'm not crazy! I'm not like…" her voice trailed off and her eyes travelled to Emma for one second. "I'm not. You can't do this!"

"Oh, well, I see I'm interrupting," Mr. Gold said from the doorway. "I just wanted to leave this here," he said and the Sheriff badge glinted in under the fluorescent lights when he left it on the table.

There was an awkward silence in the small office while all of them looked at each other. Mr. Gold stared at Tayler a strange look on his face; a mix between fondness and hatred.

"Ahh," he sighed in the end. "I see you're just like your mother," he declared before turning away.

"Wow!" Emma snorted. "What have you done to him? Killed his puppy?"

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Lily awoke in the dark, the remains of the nightmare still fresh in her mind. Heavy breaths ruffled her hair and she looked up.

Her father's face was pinched and he tossed around, in pain. Cotton had already told her what he would go through; his pain, the risks, the fever, the nightmares, the phantom pains…

And then his eyes opened and he sat up with a strangled gasp. "Papa!" she exclaimed happily. "You're awake!"

Killian looked around, dazed. "Lily?"

She smiled. "You've been asleep for a week," she told him. "Cotton says you got an infection for… you know."

Killian raised his arm and stared at the space where his hand should be; his arm now ended in the middle of his forearm in an ugly black, mangled and scarred stump. "So it wasn't a nightmare."

Lily grabbed his other arm. "Papa, I need you," she sobbed. "I-I don't know what to do! And I was so scared that you would die too…"

"Hey," he said softly, tears streaming also down his face. "Don't worry about me, I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

Lily wiped at her tears and then her father's with the hand which was not grabbing Killian's. "What are we going to do?"

"We need to kill that monster," he hissed.

Lily doubted. "Papa…"

He shook his head. "Flower, he wants to kill you, too. You heard him. And I can't lose you; you're the only thing I have left now. And I can't let him run free without paying for what he did to your mother. She needs justice and I'm going to avenge her," he said, his voice dark.

"But he's immortal, we'll die of old age before we can find anything," Lily said.

He smirked. "We'll have to stop growing up then, won't we?"

"Papa?"

"Help me up," he told her. "I need to talk to the boys. Most of them have families and I have to give them a chance to leave this ship before we part; otherwise is very probable they won't see them ever again."

Lily felt her heart beat faster and nodded. "Here," she fetched the black brace it had been made for him. "Although Cotton said we should bandage it first."

Killian looked at his stump, angry tears filling on his eyes. Lily knew he was frustrated because now he couldn't do normal things he did every day.

"I'll do it," she said. "It's practice for when Jim breaks his arm once again."

He smiled at her though it came back out more as a grimace. His expression remained stoic when Lily bandaged his arm and then fastened the brace even if she knew it had to be hurting him a lot.

"All done now," she said. "Bob Harvey says he's working on a fake hand."

He shook his head. "I don't want a hand," he declared. "I want the hook."

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **And Captain Hook is born (YAAAAY?). I have to say at first Rumple wasn't going to know about Lily's existence until season two when she'd said the famous "A man unwilling to fight for what he wants, deserves what he gets" to him (maybe over Belle) and he'd be like OH SHIT!**

 **But I needed Lily crying over Milah and a confused Tayler being like Wow, what have I done to Mr. Gold?**

 **At first I was even tempted to make Tayler, Gold's daughter but that would be too much.**

 **Hope you liked it.**

 **MW.**


	7. Thicker than water

**I'm soooo sorry for not updating earlier! But between university and stuff… well… I'm not sure how I'm going to do it when I have to study for the exams.**

 **Anyway; this is not a sad or difficult chapter (YAAAY) and I think you will like it. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

 **Thicker than water.**

"As I said you should go to sleep."

Lily bit her lip. "I can't sleep," she told him.

Killian sighed and stared hard at his daughter sitting on the pedestal in front of the helm. "Nightmares?"

"What else?" she looked down.

Both father and daughter had spent the last few weeks plagued by nightmares, and it hadn't helped with their trip to Neverland.

"I just wish they stopped crying," Lily said looking at the island. "They only make it worse."

"At least here it isn't so bad. I bet on land is even worse."

Every night they would hear the Lost Ones crying, calling for their families. Not all of the crew could hear them and that was what puzzled most of them.

Father and daughter were both broken into little pieces trying to put each other together. But it wasn't working all that well.

"It's a good thing we can't go on land, then," Lily said.

Killian grimaced. It really wasn't. They were running out of supplies on the ship and the water (and more important, the rum) was running short.

The first day a boy had greeted them at the shore, like the last time Killian was there. And then he told them Neverland was _his_ land and they couldn't step foot into his island if they wanted to stay alive.

He should have thought it better before going there. After all it wasn't only his life that was in danger.

"Lils! Lils!" Jim came bouncing. "Jamie says we can go up the crow's nest! Come on! We can watch the s-"

His words were cut short by the scream of a boy falling from the skies. He fell into the water with a splash and didn't come back up.

"Well…" Killian said. "That isn't something you see every day," he shook his head. "Come on! Somebody throw him a line!"

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"Tayler, look at me."

She huffed, crossing her arms and looked the other way. Marco sighed, defeated and put a hand over her shoulder.

"I'm doing this for your own good," he told her.

She glared at him. "I think you can go now," she said coldly. "Don't you have to get me a straitjacket or something?"

He opened his mouth to reprimand her but thought it better. "I'll come for you in an hour."

Her face softened. "You don't have to; it would cut your work right in the middle. I can come back walking by myself," and then, as if she realized she had lost her bite she scowled. "That's it if you don't think I'll be killing everyone who crosses my path in a mad rage."

Marco knew he couldn't do anything else and so he sighed once again and stood up. His hand clenched her shoulder and he turned to the door. He knew that if he tried kissing her forehead he would probably end up with a black eye.

Ahhh, kids! What's not to love?

And so Tayler waited there, glaring at the door of Archie's office like it had personally offended her and wishing for everything to be already over.

"-session. Have a nice day, Henry. I'll see you tomorrow."

The door had opened and Henry and Dr. Hooper left the office. The young boy seemed really surprised at seeing her there with a sullen look on her face.

"Tayler! What are you doing here?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" she spat.

Henry seemed taken aback. "Oh, er… sorry. I didn't mean to…"

Dr. Hooper looked at them funnily and a strange look came over his eyes. "Hey, Henry, I have to take care of a few things. Why don't you stay with Tayler for a little while until I can star her session?"

Henry looked scared at the thought of spending some more time in the company of the moody girl but gulped and nodded, sitting next to her. With a sufficient smile, Archie went back to his dark hole.

Tayler sighed and deflated on her seat. "I'm sorry," she told Henry. "It's just I'm not really happy about this and I'm also nervous and…" she trailed off.

"Why are you here?" Henry asked.

She grimaced. "My dad thinks I have some anger issues I have to work through."

"Well," Henry smirked. "He might be right. You did break Mark's nose and Richard's wrist."

Tayler huffed. "Hey! I _sprained_ his wrist," she corrected. "And I was saving your arse! Don't you be ungrateful!"

"No, no. I'm glad you saved my _arse_ ," he put especial emphasis on the word. "But I think you enjoyed it way too much."

Tayler sniggered. "Well, at that you might be right."

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"Papaa," Lily whined. "Come on! Where is he?"

Killian hid a smirk. "Asleep. It's pretty early and he didn't have much sleep tonight."

"Please, please, please? Who is he? I know you know something!"

Jim intervened from over his cousin's head. "Is he gonna stay with us?" he asked.

"For a while," he conceded.

Lily pouted. "Then why can't we know his name?"

Killian sighed and knew it would be a bad idea to let Baelfire introduce himself to his sister (not that he knew that). The Captain knew the lad wouldn't be happy and he wanted to keep Lily away from the explosion that was most likely to come out the boy. After all, he believed that a pirate –Killian most likely– had killed Milah.

« _Do you know what it was like walking home that night to tell our son that his mother was dead?_ » the demon had said.

"Jim, do you mind manning the helm for a little while? Just keep going west," he said.

Jim bit his lip, wanting to know the identity of the stranger but also dying to steer the ship. "Lils?" he asked.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Aye, aye, I'll tell you everything."

Jim smiled. "Okay, then," and he grabbed the wheel.

Killian couldn't bit back a smirk and led her daughter to a quieter place on the stern. "His name," he said. "It's Baelfire."

It took Lily a few seconds to register that. "Baelfire?" she asked. "Like my brother Baelfire? Like Mama's son?"

Killian nodded. "The same."

"He's my brother?" a huge grin came over her face. "I can teach him how to sail and how to spar and… It will be like Mama isn't entirely gone," she said lowering her gaze.

A lump formed in his throat. "Lily," he coughed to clear his voice. "Lily, you can't tell him anything!" he said.

She blinked confused. "What? Why?"

"He believes his mother was killed by a pirate and I don't think he will take it kindly if he discovers that his mother abandoned him but she kept his sister."

She stared hard at the floor. "You're right," she said after a long pause, raising her watery eyes to meet his. "He won't be happy. But it's just that… I always wanted a big brother and Jim is close to one but he isn't really and I've been dreaming about what I'll say to him for _years_ and now I he can't even know it because he will probably hate me and…" she sniffed.

His heart broke. "Oh, Lily," he hugged her close. "Maybe after a while we can tell him," he muttered into her hair.

.

.

She was tired after all the running with Jim. The crew that was left (because most of them her father had forced them to leave because of their families) looked at them with exasperation while they chased each other through the ship.

"Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen," Jim was chanting.

Lily decided the hatch behind the helm would be a good hiding place, if only because her father would warn her when Jim approached.

She was in such a hurry she stumbled in the stairs and almost fell face-first. Luckily young arms caught her and steadied her.

"Careful there," a voice said.

Lily looked up; it was her brother. "Yeah, thanks!" she squashed her excitement like a bug.

"You have to be more careful, Flower. One of these days you'll open your head," her father told her shaking his head.

Lily grinned. "You've been saying this for _years_ and nothing ever happens. Anyway, Jim must be almost over," she rushed towards the hatch. "Warn me if he comes here, Papa!" she called before disappearing below.

"Papa?" she heard Baelfire question.

"Aye, that's my daughter, Lily. She's eight," Lily could her the warm smile on her father's voice.

"Is a pirate ship the best place for a little girl?"

Killian laughed. "Oh, don't let her fool you. She may look innocent and sweet but she is a pirate after all. She's a good fighter, too."

"She's a kid," Baelfire said suspicious.

"Would you like to duel with her? I'll have to warn you; I've been training her since she was five… every morning."

"You know what? Never mind."

Killian laughed again. "That's more like it."

And then new footsteps joined the two men. "Hey! Uncle, have you seen Lily?"

"Nay, she's not here. Have you checked the crow's n-"

The hatch opened and Jim's smiling face came upon her. "Gotcha!"

Lily pouted. "How did you know?"

Jim smirked. "The first place you check when you seek it's always the next place where you'll hide," he told her. "Wanna go again?"

Lily glared at him and stormed to the bow, Jim chasing behind her with mocking remarks. Killian smiled softly at the sight of them.

"Uncle?" Baelfire shook his head. "Are you a pirate captain or a nursemaid?"

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"Die! Die! Diieeee!" Tayler screamed. "Nonononono! Stop! Arghhh! I'm dead," and she let herself fall to the couch.

Henry snorted and looked at her with a hidden smile. "You wanna play another round?"

Tayler left the PS2 controller back on the table. "No, we probably should get started on that assignment… thing."

"You don't know what we have to do, do you?"

Tayler looked at him sheepishly. "It was something about a story? I'm sorry, I was playing hangman with Finn."

"I see you are very interested in English class."

She smiled. "Yeah," she rolled her eyes. "For me English is very boring; well, school is. I just need to keep moving, you know? So, anyway. What do we have to do?"

Henry looked at his school planner even though he knew the assignment by heart. "Here it says we have to draw a comic about something. It has to have at least ten panels but there's no maximum."

Tayler blinked. "I think Miss Blanchard just wants to have a laugh."

Henry scoffed. "I think she does it for me. Because she knows I am down and this will help cheer me up. I bet you she didn't expect for me to end up pairing with someone."

Tayler nudged him. "Oh, come on! I'm not so bad, am I?"

Henry smiled. "I don't know. You're kind of crazy."

Tayler snorted. "And you're the one to talk," she shook her head. "Okay, so you like these kind of things? It will be easy then. You like to make stories?"

Henry started to blush. "Yeah, well, a little. But I don't draw very well."

Her grin was huge. "Oh! That doesn't matter. I do. You can think of the story and I'll draw," she saw a glint on his eyes. "What do you have in mind?"

Henry disappeared for a few moments and came back with a big brown book on his arms. "How do you feel about fairytales?"

.

.

Tayler blew a stray piece of hair from her eyes, concentrated on the figure coming to life under her fingers. Henry was beside her, carefully coloring the letters of the title: "Snowed Lily."

It was an adapted version of one of the tales in Henry's book. It explained the story of how Snow White and Tiger Lily met and then went on to stop the Evil Queen and rescue Tiger Lily's father, who was trapped in the Evil Queen's castle.

Once Henry had stopped writing a script for Tayler to draw and had read it to her, the girl had snorted and asked him if Snow White and Tiger Lily ended up together. Henry's eyes had widened and he'd almost chocked on his own saliva.

"No! Tiger Lily is eight and Snow is like twenty-something. Oh my God! That's _so_ wrong! No way!" he had said getting red in the ears.

"Okay, okay, don't get you knickers in a twist," she had told him. "Alright. That's fine. But I ship it anyways," she had muttered the last part to herself.

Tayler stretched and her back popped. "I think it's coming together very nicely," she declared. "I hope we get an A+ because otherwise I'm murdering Miss Blanchard."

Henry snorted. "Don't worry. We'll be fine. It's gonna be the best one there; we could even sell it."

Tayler smiled at him. "Should I paint it? I think it looks better this way."

"At least do it with a marker," he told her.

Tayler saluted him. "Yes, captain!"

Henry's fingers clutched at the pencil on his hand and he gulped. "You know, Tiger Lily kinds of reminds me of you," he told her trying to be nonchalant.

"Because I am _so_ Indian," Tayler snorted going over the first panel with the marker.

"But she's not Indian in this story," he said. "It doesn't matter anyway, it was just a thought."

Tayler turned to look at him. "So you think I'm Tiger Lily," she stated.

Herny blinked. "What?"

She rolled her eyes. "Dr. Hooper's walls are very thin," she told him. "And everybody knows about you and the… fairytale thing. I was wondering who did you think I was."

Henry opened and closed his mouth like a fish. "I… yeah. It fits, so…"

She smiled at him. "Soo… Tiger Lily, huh? I just hope there's no Captain Hook trying to drown me or something, I'm not very fond of crocodiles," she shook her head. "By the way, what is she doing in… um… Fairytale Land? Shouldn't she-I be in Neverland?"

"My book doesn't say anything about it. It's something I'm trying to figure out."

"Well, next time we have to do something like this we know which story we'll do."

And Henry smiled happily.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"Show me… seven!" threw the dices which rolled and rolled and… "Yes!"

"I don't know how you keep doing that," Bae huffed.

Lily hid her smirk and picked the dices (in a five and a two) nonchalantly. "You just have bad luck. Now if you don't mind…" she grabbed one of the peach pieces packed in a barrel full of syrup. "Umm… delicious."

Bae glared at her. Lily had been steadily eating away his part of the fruits. And he loved peach! The worst part is that she knew it and made him suffer enjoying exaggeratedly each piece.

"Shut up!" he scowled. "I don't know how you win every time. I can't have that much bad luck."

Jim sat next to them on the floor of the ship. "Maybe it is because she has loaded dice," he told him.

"What?" Bae gaped at the girl, outraged.

"Jimmy!" Lily scowled. "Why did you say it? I could have won at least five pieces more before he realized!"

Jim smiled. "I was feeling sorry for him."

Lily jumped at him. "You will pay for that! You owe me some peach! You know how much I like it!"

Bae smiled at the antics of the two cousins, who had been like that the three weeks he had spent on the ship, and stood up to go below decks.

"Don't you run away, you coward! Face me like a man!"

.

.

"Jimmyyy," Lily whined. "Stay still!" and she pointed at him murderously with her charcoal. "And stop whining."

Jim scowled at her. "I am staying still. It's you that takes such a long time."

"These things take time, okay? I can't just… rush it."

Jim pouted. "Well, my butt is falling as-"

"I'm the captain! I give the orders!" the voice of her father made them both look up. "AND ANYONE WHO DISOBEYS CAN WALK THE PLANK AND PRAY THAT THE MERMAIDS TAKE PITY ON HIS SOUL!"

Jim and Lily had gotten behind Killian to know what all the ruckus was about when Bae stepped out on the deck, sword in hand.

"Face me, villain!" Bae shouted swinging the sword at the pirate.

Killian ducked, more surprised than anything and Lily let out a snort at the strange situation. The rest of the crew, though, got their hands to their swords, ready to defend their captain's life.

"Whoa-whoa! What is this about, Bae?"

"I found this," Bae held up the piece of paper on his hand, which was a drawing Milah had made of herself. ", on your desk. It's… it's my mother."

"Oh, bloody hell!" Lily muttered, spending all her time around pirates was not a good influence.

"HOW?" Bae demanded swinging the sword once again. "You're the pirate that killed her!" he accused trying to get another blow.

Killian caught the sword with his hook and send it flying away from the boy's hand. "I didn't kill your mother," he told him firmly. "We fell in love. And we ran off together," he confessed. "Your father lied to you. He was too much of a coward to tell you the truth!" he screamed and then walked closer to the boy. "He tore out her heart and crushed it in front of me. And I've spent every moment since then wanting revenge."

"She abandoned me," Bae stated. "Wait…" something clicked on his mind and his eyes searched the crew of the ship. "She… You!" his gaze found Lily. "You… Are you my sister?" he asked her.

"Well… _half_ -sister," she said.

His eyes flashed. "And she stayed with you? She left me, she abandoned me but she chose you!"

Killian decided to intervene. "Bae, not a single day went past where your mother didn't regret leaving you. We talked about going back for you when you were old enough. Perhaps fate brought us together to make good on those plans. We can live the life that Milah wanted for us, as a family."

But Baelfire shook his head, already too angry to listen to the words of a _pirate_.

The only thing he regretted about leaving the ship was not getting to know his little sister. He had always wanted a sibling.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"Well, if your mum doesn't win the elections she can always try the fireman department," Tayler told Henry with a smirk.

Henry pushed her. "Oh, shut up."

"I'm sure she's going to win," Paige said. "I mean, between the fire and now this speech… Everybody knows she's not afraid of the Mayor _or_ Mr. Gold, and what could you ask for a better Sheriff?"

Henry smiled. "You're right," he looked down at the floor. "She did the right thing. I have to go to Granny's! See you at school!"

Paige and Tayler exchanged an amused look. "So… you and Henry are friends now," Paige said.

"Glad you noticed," Tayler said dryly.

Paige glared at her and then her face softened. "Do you… do you like him?"

"He's a nice guy," she said and then realized the meaning under Paige's words. "Ughh! Not _that_ way! Gods, Paige! I don't _fancy_ him!"

She looked relieved. "You don't?"

"Of course not!" she spat. "He's like a brother to me. Or maybe a cousin," she looked at her friend in the eye. "Look, P, I know you fancy Henry and you have a crush on him; and that's okay. But you're not going to accomplish anything if you don't talk to him!"

Paige covered her face with her hands. "I know!" she whined although it came out muffled. "But I don't know how to do that."

Tayler grabbed her hands and pushed them away from her face. "Why don't you start by trying to be his friend? Like I am. Not a schoolmate, not a school friend, not an acquaintance. A friend. Get to really know him."

"How can I do that? Not everybody has therapy sessions to bond over," she said.

Tayler snorted. "That's a weird place to start a friendship. But don't worry, I'll help you. You both are my friends, so it's normal if we all spend some time together now, isn't it? And I'm sure Finn will love Henry's PS2."

"You're in love with that PS2, aren't you?"

"You should see it! It's _so cool_! And it was so many games! Oh, gods, it's amazing!"

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 **YAAAAY! Tayler and Henry and Bae and Lily bonding over. What would they be? Tiger Believer and Tigerfire? Gods, I'm bad at this.**

 **Anyway, I'm sorry for the delay, again, but I hope this chapter made it up to you. Did you like it?**

 **Don't forget to review!**

 **MW.**


	8. Innocence Lost

**In which everything starts to make a little more sense. Enjoy it! And if you have any questions, or you want to tell me anything, you can (you should) review.**

 **Oh, and thank you all for being so amazing.**

 **Disclaimer: You already know the deal.**

 **Innocence lost.**

"Will you let me eat my cereal in peace?" Heidi snapped.

Tayler kept staring at her, with a spoon full of milk and cereal mid-way to her mouth. "I have a proposition for you," she told her.

Heidi raised one eyebrow and lowered the spoon. "Let's hear it, then," she said.

"You know how Dad doesn't let us go with the boat even though it's already finished and Norman and the fishermen have already tested it."

Heidi leaned in. "Keep going."

"Well, today Dad will be at the Parker's, building their garden house and that. He won't be here until really late."

A glint came over Heidi's eyes. "And you want to take the boat," she guessed.

"Just for today! It's just that I promised Henry that I would take him out on a trip, but if Dad has any say on it that won't be until May. And tomorrow it's gonna rain so that means it's windy enough for the boat to get moving."

Heidi blinked. "Don't all the boats need wind?"

Tayler rolled her eyes. "This is a sloop sailboat with a full keel and only one mast with two sails, a foresail and a mainsail. That means the boat is very slow and we'll need more wind than other boats to get it to a decent speed."

"How do you know _that_? I haven't understood a word you've said."

Tayler shrugged. "I listened to Dad when he talked about this when we were building it. Like you should have."

Heidi coughed. "Anyway, I don't know if it's a good idea to go out without an adult. We don't even know how to sail it."

Tayler crossed her arms. "I know something from what Dad told me. I know how it works. And besides, we won't be long, I promise. Just a couple of hours."

Heidi still wasn't convinced. "I don't know, Ty…"

Tayler decided to use her last resort. "You can bring Kyle if you want…" her sister's eyes glinted. "I promise I won't tease you. And I know he'll want to go, he's always going windsurfing so he'll like sailing, too."

That won her over. "This will be kept between us," she said seriously.

Tayler nodded. "Cross my heart," and she crossed her heart.

"And hope to die," Heidi finished crossing her heart, too.

Tayler grinned. "Perfect! I'll tell Henry in class. We can go there after school and be back before dinner. We'll have to skip Archie's session but never mind.

Heidi mock gasped. "You would dare to skip your shrink appointment? Oh, my! You must be really wanting this trip."

Tayler stuck out her tongue. "Oh, shut up."

Marco appeared in the kitchen door. "Girls, what are you doing still here? You should be on your way to school."

Heidi rolled her eyes. "It's still early, Dad. We have plenty of time. And I don't think it will happen anything if we're ten minutes late."

"Yeah," Tayler seconded. "Let us enjoy our cereal in the morning without pressures. Let us live the life!"

Marco snorted. "Alright, girls. I have to get to work. Try not to be late while you are «living the life»."

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Lily huffed. "We'll be _fine_ , Papa. Stop worrying."

Killian scowled. "We'll only be on this island a day, two at the most. Long enough for us to find Pan and strike a deal with him."

"I know, you've told us a thousand times," she rolled her eyes. "We'll stay in the ship, I promise. And I'll look after Jimmy," she added in a whisper.

He laughed. "Alright, Flower," he kissed her forehead. "We'll be back. Listen to everything Ryan says."

Lily huffed. "I will. Now go!"

Jim appeared behind his cousin and they both watched the crew slowly swim (or row for those in the small boat) towards land. "So what do we do now?" he asked.

Lily smirked. "We have fun."

.

.

Ryan wasn't happy with the two devils. No one would be in his position. He strode through the deck searching for the two miscreants who had bathed him in sticky old syrup used for conserving the fruits.

And then they had poured vinegar on him.

Yeah, he was not happy.

He was going to kill them.

"Oh, well," a voice snorted behind him. "This is not what I expected to find."

Ryan turned, his sword already on his hand, only to find a boy about fifteen leaning against the mask with a smirk. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded.

"Oh, I'm sorry we haven't been properly introduced, I'm Pan, Peter Pan."

Ryan's grip on the sword tightened. "And what do you want?"

Pan smirked. "Oh, why, the two young pirates you have on board."

And five boys dressed with cloaks and covering their noses jumped onto the ship. The Lost Ones, Ryan realized. Pan crossed his arms nonchalantly and turned toward the blonde boy, the tallest one.

"Get them," Pan ordered.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"Everybody got everything?" Heidi asked. "The food, the towels, the radio…"

Tayler checked. "Yep, everything is here. We can set sail!"

Henry and Tayler helped Kyle bring the boat out of the port while they told Heidi to sit down and watch out for the boom. She wasn't looking very fond of ships.

"We shouldn't go in very deep," Henry said somewhat worried. "Just in case."

Kyle nodded. "You're right; we'll stay close."

Then the wind started to pick up and the boat gained speed through the angry sea. Tayler leaned out, a hand extended towards the water and let out a joyful scream.

"YEAH!"

She felt alive. The blood pumped through her veins and she could taste the salty water on her lips.

"This is amazing!" and she giggled.

"Okay, you're crazy now," Heidi told her.

Tayler rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on! Don't you like this feeling? If we only had a motorboat then we could go faster…"

Heidi pushed her out of the sailboat into the water and Tayler quickly stayed behind. "How's this for faster?" she called after her sister.

"Heidi!" Kyle's gaze was disapproving and Heidi blushed suddenly regretting her childish antics.

"Come on, Ty, I'll help you up."

Tayler glared at her with all her might. "D-d-do you know t-th-this wat-ter is re-really c-c-c-cold, d-d-don't you?" she spat through chattering teeth swimming behind the boat.

"I just hope there aren't like sharks or so around here," Henry muttered looking worriedly at the water.

Tayler quickened the pace and Kyle turned the boat around to make it easier for her to get on. Heidi greeted her with a warm towel and Tayler whipped her hair in her direction so some of the salty drops landed on Heidi's face.

"Maybe we should be getting back," Henry said looking at the clouds.

Kyle nodded. "It's seems to be getting rather nasty. I wouldn't want to be caught in a storm out here."

And then a thunder grumbled on the skies.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Lily fought against the restrains that kept her tied to a tree. She only managed to hurt her already tender wrists and blood started trickle down her hands.

"Let me go!" she screamed.

Only one of the Lost Boys who was guarding them looked at her, slightly afraid. The other two, on the other hand, kept their gazes firmly set on the young boy tied to a pyre ready to burn up.

"Let him go!" she tried again.

She could see her sword a few feet away from her. If she only could free herself from the bonds…

"Alright," the oldest Lost One said. "I think we should light it up, now."

And he got a torch and started to try and set it on fire, sitting on a rock to concentrate. The other two kept looking at Jim, one of them pointing at him with his sword and the other toying with the string of his bow.

Lily managed to cut the rope with the friction against the rough bark of the tree. She knew if she rushed anything they both could get killed and so, as quietly and as fast as she could she dragged herself to her sword.

In her mind she knew what to do, but putting it in action was a different thing.

Jimmy's eyes gave her away and all three Lost Boys turned to look at her. They all froze for some seconds until Lily ducked to grab her sword and that set them all in action.

The boy with the boy shot an arrow at her, but his aim was wrong and it brushed past Lily. She ran towards him for she knew he was the most dangerous of the group.

Lily needed more strength than she had expected to sink her sword on the boys stomach. His eyes widened, scared and afraid, and he let out a whimper before falling to the ground, almost taking Lily's sword with him.

Jim let out a scream and Lily jumped somersaulted. That was a good move, because she felt a sting in her back and she knew if she hadn't moved her situation would be much worse.

Lily hissed in pain and turned blinking away the tears in her eyes. The Lost Boy's sword came crashing down on her once again but this time Lily blocked it with he own. Lily slid her sword against his blade and then hit his hand hard.

"Fucking hell!" he shouted dropping the sword and massaging his hand.

Lily took the chance to run him through.

And then the last Lost Boy crashed over her, tacking her to the ground and sitting over her new wound. Lily screamed in pain against the earth. He pinned her arms over her head with one hand, keeping her immobilized.

"Shut up!" he shouted. "You've killed my friends!"

Lily fidgeted. "Get out of me!" she screamed. "Leave us alone! You kidnapped us!"

He pressed her closer to the ground and Lily had to turn her head to keep breathing. "Pan's orders. You know what happens when you disobey him. We weren't supposed to kill _you_ , only him, but I don't think he really cares."

Lily saw a flash of metal from the corner of her eye; he was going to kill her with her own sword. Her muscles tensed with fear.

The young pirate raised her legs and kicked the Lost Boy's back with her heel hard enough to make his grip on her wrists falter. She pushed herself off the ground and he fell on his behind.

Lily turned furious, a snarl on her lips. The only weapon in her reach was her sword in the boy's hands. Her blood boiled.

Lily let out a scream and jumped at him, her hands bare except with a rock that was near her feet.

But a rock was enough.

She straddled his body, limp and bloodied, and her eyes widened. The rock fell from her grasp and she dragged herself as far as she could.

And then she started to cry.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"We have to get back!" Tayler shouted. "Now!"

The storm suddenly unleashed. Wind ripped at their sails, thunder crashed unbearably loud around them and lighting stroke frighteningly near.

And then it started to rain.

For one second Tayler felt really afraid. For her, for her friends. But then, like something had switched inside her, she felt her head clear and stay terrifyingly calm and focused.

"Kyle, I need you near the mast. You have to listen to everything I say," she stated taking his claim on the tiller. "Henry, Heidi, you have to stay on the ground, as flat as possible. This way you have less risk to get hit by lighting."

Henry gulped but obeyed, getting down on his knees.

Heidi stared at her. "But I want to help," she protested.

"You are helping this way," another flash of light, followed by a thundering crash. "Get down, now!"

Heidi was obviously scared but she trusted her sister and so she laid face-first on the boat, her elbow touching Henry's. She shared a look with the scared boy and then grabbed his hand trying to comfort him. With her other hand she clutched at the small plastic vial of cheap glitter she kept as a keepsake from her mother.

Henry smiled through his panicked mien.

Tayler breathed in, the smell of ozone filling the air. She turned the tiller to make the boat come about. "Boom," she warned and Kyle ducked the flying boom that slashed through the air.

The boat turned slowly and the wind ripped at Tayler's clothes. But she knew despite the enormous waves around them, they weren't going to capsize.

"Kyle!" Tayler screamed. "Man the sail! We have to take her to the coast as soon as possible! Then we'll worry about getting her to the docks."

It wasn't an easy feat; between the wind, the waves, the rain, the lightning and the stubbornness of the boat, Tayler had a hard time sailing her to the shore.

Somehow she knew what she had to do and exactly how to do it. She knew how to twist the tiller so that the boat turned and when to shout at Kyle to adjust the sail this way or that way.

It was a relief that he also knew how to sail, if it was only because of all the windsurfing he did.

The shore came into view and Tayler let out a relieved sigh. Although the struggle wasn't over, yet.

"How are we going to dock it?" Kyle shouted. "There's no dock."

Indeed, there was only a beach, a small bay. With the wind blowing to the side it was going to be very difficult to manage to get into the small beach and not crash onto the rocks.

Kyle looked at Tayler and two pairs of blue eyes flashed in the cloudy afternoon. A silent conversation passed between them in a few seconds and Kyle nodded once.

Tayler breather in and her grip on the tiller tightened. "Let's go," she mumbled.

It was a slow process and they were dangerously close to the rocks a couple of times. Tayler's voice went hoarse from shouting instructions at her newly assigned First Mate. Her fingers were red and numb and that made handling the boat much more difficult.

Not that poor Kyle was having it any easier.

Even Henry and Heidi were having a rough time, face-down to the floor without knowing what exactly was going on around them. They held on as they could and waited, _hoped_ , that Tayler and Kyle were skilled enough to get them safely home.

In the end they did it and the sailboat got stuck in the sand. Kyle urged them to hop off the boat and helped them get down the water more easily.

They had to waddle for a few frightening seconds and then they were running through the wet sand hoping to make it to the safeguard of the buildings of the outskirts of Storybrooke.

"I better get home now," Henry says. "This way my Mom isn't going to kill me… much."

Tayler shared a look with her sister. "Maybe he won't find out," the youngest one said hopefully.

"Yeah," Heidi deadpanned. "Because we can carry the boat back home and he won't notice the soaking wet sails."

Tayler blinked. "We are _so_ dead."

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Jim helped Lily on their way through the jungle. The boost from the fight had faded off and if it weren't for her cousin, Lily would have stayed in the ground for who knows how long.

"Come on, Lils. We're almost there," he said.

Her eyes were wide and unfocused, staring off at the distance. Jimmy was seriously worried for her; she had been like that, empty, since she had picked up the rock.

"Lils, hang on, please. I can see the beach from here."

Jim was hoping he wouldn't have to swim back to the ship. He wasn't sure he would make it with Lily on tow. But he was also afraid of leaving here there alone the time it took him to go to the ship and send someone back with the dinghy.

And what if Uncle Killian and the rest of the men hadn't gotten back yet and there wasn't a dinghy?

Luckily there already was a small group of pirates camping in the beach. At the sight of them they jumped to their feet and rushed towards the two kids.

"What happened? Weren't you two supposed to be in the ship?" Morgan Skylights asked.

Alf Mason carefully guided Lily to a rock in front of the fire they had lighten. "What happened to her?" he asked.

Jim grimaced and sat next to Lily. "Pan and his Lost Boys got to us. They kidnapped us and tied us up. Lily to a tree and me to a pyre."

All the pirates shared worried looks. "The Captain should be negotiating with Pan right now," Jamie Parker said.

But the negotiations hadn't gone well at all, if the curses the pirate Captain was muttering not five minutes later when he stomped back to the camp were anything to go by. "Stupid kid! Bloody demon! If I could only get my hands on his neck…"

"Captain!" Morgan jumped to his feet. "I take the negotiations didn't go well."

"He said he didn't trust us to be able to carry on with his demands. That he was afraid we couldn't pass the hardships his offer presents. That maybe we are too weak-willed."

Morgan scoffed. "We are pirates! We are not weak-willed!"

"That's what I to- Lily? Flower, what are you do- What is she doing here?" he demanded to his crew.

Morgan grimaced. "Pan kidnapped them in the ship but they managed to escape."

"How?" Killian asked.

"Oh! She is a really capable pirate, for an eight year old girl," Pan's voice said behind them.

The group of pirates turned, their weapons at the ready. Pan laughed and raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. With a devious smirk he made his way to the pirates, only to be stopped by Killian's sword in his chest.

"Temper, temper," he said unfazed. "Just like your daughter."

The pirate's eyes narrowed and his sword dug a little into the boy's clothes. "What have you done to her?"

Pan shook his head. "What have _I_ done to her? You should be asking what has she done to my Lost Boys."

"What do you mean?"

Pan pushed the blade away from him and walked to stand in front of Lily, also facing Killian and the rest of the crew. "I needed to know if you were the ones for the job; the only way to know that was to test the weakest of all of you. And she has exceed by far all my expectations," he smiled.

"I'm getting rather tired of all your beating around the bush so get to the point," Killian demanded.

Pan only smirked bigger. "She's rather feisty, isn't she? My Lost Boys didn't stand a chance against her. She attacked them viciously… just like a tiger," a sudden glint came over his eyes. "A Tiger… Lily," he tasted the words. "I like it. It shall be my new name for her. Beautiful as the _Lilium_ but not as pure as one, not anymore. I think it fits her perfectly."

And with that he disappeared before anyone could do anything to stop him.

Killian rushed to his daughter. Blood rushed to his ears when he saw the red stain on the back of her shirt, the telling of a rather big wound.

"Lily, what happened?" he asked softly.

Lily turned her wide blue eyes to him and they came back to focus. Her gaze was full of pain and regret and anger; Killian wanted to hurt whoever had put that despair in his daughter's eyes.

And then Lily clutched at her father's waist, hiding her head on his chest and started to sob. Killian's heart shattered which each one of her broken cries.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"Should you be here?" Paige asked with a small smirk. "I mean, you are grounded for the rest of the century."

Tayler grimaced. "I know, I know."

"You stole your father's boat and almost got killed in the storm, after all," Finn pipped in.

Tayler glared at him. "I know that. I was there."

Finn held a snigger. "Just reminding you."

Tayler huffed. "You are just hurt because you weren't there."

"I wanted to sail, too, you know," Finn scowled. "You could have told me!"

Paige blinked. "You're hurt because you didn't get to almost die with them."

"Duh, obviously. I mean, how cool is that?"

The blonde girl shook her head. "I don't know what I'm friends with you."

Tayler and Finn shared a glance. "Yeah, you've said that before," Tayler said.

"Once or twice," Finn nodded.

Kyle had made his way towards them while they were talking. "Hey, Tayler," he smiled at the girl. "Tayler's friends," he nodded at them.

Paige suddenly blushed and Tayler started to snigger at her friend.

"Whoa! Cool board!" Finn exclaimed pointing at the skate under Kyle's arms.

Kyle smiled. "Do you know how to ride?"

Finn nodded. "Tayler and the boys are teaching me. I'm not so bad."

"I could teach you a few tricks if you wanted. You too, Tayler. Although I don't know if you could learn much."

Tayler smiled. "Well, when it's warm again you can teach me how to windsurf. I've always wanted to try that. That's it if I'm not still grounded," she grumbled the last part.

Kyle laughed. "Okay, I'll take you up on that! See you around!"

The three of them watched him go on his skateboard, his ponytail whipping in the air. Finn and Paige sighed, only for different reasons.

"He's just so cool," Finn said. "I hope he sticks around sometime. Maybe one day he'll even bring his friends."

Paige glared at Tayler. "I don't know how you manage to befriend of all the cute guys. How do you do it? Teach me please!"

"It's a gift," Tayler laughed. "But he has to be nice to me, if only because soon I'm going to be his sister-in-law, so…"

Paige shook her head. "Still, you are so lucky."

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

The night had already fallen when all the pirates got back to the ship. Killian, Jim and Lily were on the last trip to the boat and she was thankful she didn't have to see Ryan Thompson's empty eyes staring back at her.

"Papa, I'm going back to my cabin," she told him.

After the adventures of the day and having to retell them to her father and a crew of pirates Lily felt suddenly very drained. All she wanted to do was go to bed and sleep until the sun was on his highest peak.

But when she got to her room, what once had been the Lieutenant's quarters, she stopped dead on her tracks. For, lying on her bed, there was a tiger lily, its orange petals glinting under the light of the candles.

Lily rushed back to the deck and threw the flower overboard, her breaths heavy and loud to her ears.

Her father growled behind her. "I'm going to kill that bloody demon."

"Ah-ah-ah, is that the way to talk to your new employer?" Pan asked making them turn around to glare at him. "Such a waste…" he sighed. "Do you know how long it has taken me to find a tiger lily around here?"

Out of nowhere Lily realized something that had been nagging her since she had stepped foot on the ship. "Why have the Lost Boys stopped crying?"

Her father looked at her with concern. "They haven't, they are still crying right now."

Pan nodded. "The Captain is right. It's only that you don't hear them now."

"Why? Why are some people in my crew who can hear them and some who don't? Why is now Lily one of those who can't?"

Pan smiled. "All children can hear the Lost Boy's crying, but for an adult to hear them… well, he has to be a Lost One at heart, too; a little lost orphan."

Killian scowled. "But Lily can't hear them now."

"Well, she's not a kid anymore, is she?" Pan said before disappearing once again.

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 **Dun, dun, duuuun. Poor Lily, Pan is really a "nasty little boy", isn't he?**

 **I know nothing about ships, in fact all I've got is from the Internet, so if there is anything wrong or impossible or whatever, just bear with me.**

 **I hope you like it!**

 **MW.**


	9. Christmas Lights

**Maybe I should have written this during Christmas… Nahhh.**

 **I have to give a thanks to all the people who reviewed or even favorited and followed the story. You are all amazing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT nor anything except the plot.**

 **Christmas lights.**

Tayler tapped her fingers against the table her eyes firmly set on the clock ticking merrily on the wall. Just a few more minutes…

The bell rang and Tayler jumped to her feet. Finn, who had been just as fast as her, high-fived her, grinning.

"Christmas break!" Tayler screamed and the whole class cheered.

Miss Blanchard laughed softly shaking her head. "Are you all that eager to get rid of me?"

Tayler froze and her panicked eyes travelled to her teacher. "Well, not you _you_ per se, but the school as a whole. The homework, the studying, the waking up early, everything."

Miss Blanchard smiled warmly. "That's okay, I know what you mean. Now, go! Before I think it through and put you some Christmas homework."

The classroom was empty faster than you could say «notebook».

"Are you still grounded?" Finn asked while they made their way through the packed halls. "Because I was thinking he could go to Henry's and play _Fifa_. You still owe me that rematch."

Henry grinned beside them. "Shouldn't I be the one to suggest that?"

Paige snorted. "You've spent enough time with them to know they don't have any problems with inviting themselves at other people's home. One time I found them both having tea with my mom when I wasn't even home."

The two accused smiled fondly at the memory.

"Your mum is very nice," Tayler said. "And Maple," Paige's cat. "loves me."

Finn cleared his throat. "So? Can we go to your house?" he asked Henry this time.

"I'm sure Mom won't mind," Henry said. "You all can come over after Tayler's session. Maybe my mom will even let you stay for dinner."

Regina was very happy with her son's newfound friends. It didn't only mean that Henry wasn't lonely and sad anymore but also that he didn't have the time to see his birthmother (who had been told to stay the hell away from him after the «Playground incident»).

And also Regina had somewhat more leverage over Jefferson now that his daughter spent a lot of time in her house.

"I'll have to ask my dad," Tayler said. "I'm supposed to be grounded until I end high-school or something like that but I'm sure with Christmas break he will be more forgiving. It's either that or he'll have me and Heidi bickering all over the house the whole day."

Her three friends shared a knowing look; they all knew about Tayler and Heidi's love-hate sisterly bond but they didn't enjoy it very much. No one did.

"I'm sure if you go with that he'll let you out of the house in a blink of an eye," Paige said trying to hold back her snigger.

Finn and Henry were not so subtle.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Lily ducked a flying fist and punched her opponent in the stomach two times. Jamie wheezed and stumbled for a second before coming back to attack her. He swept her legs from under her, making her crash to the ground, but Lily was back up on her feet before he could take advantage of the situation.

They stared at each other, their fists closed and near their faces, breathing heavily. Lily saw the decision on Jamie's eyes and sidestepped and then she jumped on his back, tangling her legs together to keep herself from falling.

"One of these days you're going to end up hurting each other," Captain Killian Jones said observing the fight leaning against the mast. "Again."

Jamie jumped around and punched Lily's legs, trying to get her off. The little girl, meanwhile, looked back at her father like she was having tea on a garden.

"It'sss an occupational hazzzzard," she said calmly. "You have to learn how to get hurt before you know how to hit," she recited.

"Hey!" he frowned in mock anger. "Don't steal my words."

Lily grinned, showing off her toothless smile where the two central incisors were missing. They had fallen off during their last trip off Neverland, which had become more recent those last few months on Pan's orders. Killian had been relieved when she had appeared at midnight in his quarters with a bleeding mouth and one shiny tooth in her hand; after all his first tooth had fallen when he was six and Lily was already eight.

"Are you laughing at me again?" she frowned at him and Jaime managed to throw her off. "Hey! That'sss not fair!"

Both men hid her smirks. Since the fall of her tooth, and then later the other one, Lily had started whistling with some words much to her chagrin. The rest of the crew found it very funny and Jim had started to make hissing sounds like a snake when she was near to annoy her.

Needless to say he had been beaten up a lot.

Lily pouted. "I would have got you if it wasssn't for him," she told Jim. "I almosssst had you!"

"Oh, isn't that cute," a familiar voice drawled behind them.

All of the pirates had already gotten used to Pan's dramatics so they weren't surprise when he popped up once again.

Pan's face fell at the lack of reaction. "Really? Nothing? You didn't even flinch!" he huffed. "Anyway," he strode to stand beside Killian. "I have a job for you, Captain Hook," his nickname for the pirate, who had been a mocking jab when he had appeared in Neverland for the second time, had become all too familiar to the crew.

"What is it this time? Do you want me to get some more pastries for your Lost Ones? If they keep going like this they'll need a lot more than dancing around a campfire to stay in shape."

Pan only raised an eyebrow. "I need you to get a special object from some old… friends. It's very old, very fragile and also very important."

Hook crossed his arms. "And let me guess, they are not going to give up that wonderful artifact without a fight, are they?"

Pan smirked. "No, they won't."

Lily smiled. "Well, thingsss had been getting boring around here. And I will be able to sssstop hisssssing at lasst."

Neverland's magic kept them from growing up, but it also kept every small change from happening to their bodies and that meant it kept Lily's teeth from growing. A fact that didn't make her very happy.

"Tiger Lily!" Pan smiled at the sight of her. "I'm sorry but you won't be able to come to this trip."

Lily's face fell. "What? Why?"

"Well, this friends of mine… they don't like girls very much. If this mission has one chance of working is if you aren't in it," he told her.

Lily frowned. "And what am I ssssuposssed to do? Sssswim around the isssland for monthsss?"

Pan scoffed. "Of course not. You'll stay on the island," a devious glint twinkled in his eyes. "After all I think your brother is rather needed of some company right now and it's about time you two had a talk, don't you think?"

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"Are you sure you really want to get her that?"

Tayler looked back at the horrendous jumper. It was a deep red, with a reindeer on the middle, its bright red nose sticking out. Green vines colored the sleeves and on the back there was the reindeer behind with the tail also in volume.

"Why?" she asked innocently. "Don't you like it?"

Paige winced when looking at the sweater again. "It's awful."

Tayler grinned. "That's the point! And Heidi will have to put it on because it's _Christmas_!" and she started humming _Jingle Bells_ under her breath.

"- _Claus is coming… to town!_ " Finn finished. "Look what I found!"

He held proudly a sweater like Tayler's, only his was light blue with a snowman (the carrot nose stuck out) and sewed snowflakes. "I think I'll buy it for my mother. She'll love it!" he laughed gleefully.

Paige facepalmed while Tayler and Finn compared sweaters ("yours has a tail? Mine only says « _Cool outside, warm inside_ » although it should be the other way around) and wondered to herself once again why she was friends with them.

"Hey!" Henry grinned at her. "Have you found anything yet?"

Paige lowered her hand and fought a blush (she had been getting better with that those last few weeks). "I don't think I'll find anything good in this shop."

Henry glanced with the corner of his eye at Finn and Tayler, who were checking out some Santa's fake beards in the mirror.

"Look! I look just like Dumbledore!" Tayler said.

"Ten point to Gryffindor!" Finn added in a deep voice.

Paige had to smile at that. "At least I already have my Dad's, you and those two idiots. I only need my Mom's. Who do you have left?"

Henry's face fell. "All of them. I only have Finn's and it still has to get here," he leaned in. "It's a game for his Gameboy," he whispered. "I have to buy something for my mom, for Emma, maybe a card for Miss Blanchard and something for you and Tayler, but I can't buy that with you two around."

"Excuse me, lads, but have you happen to see a tea-shop around here?" Tayler appeared suddenly in front of them, thickening her accent to a posh British one and stroking her Santa/Dumbledore beard.

"We are in need of some tea and biscuits," Finn added beside her. "Oh, this weather is awfully cold, don't you believe so?" he turned to Tayler.

"Oh, indeed! It's raining cats and dogs. Of all the days to go out…"

"Oh, why, Governor!" Finn exclaimed. "But surely you must be used to this rather unbecoming weather, isn't it the same back in London?"

"How dare ye? I'm Scottish!"

Paige pinched the bridge of her nose and her friends laughed. Her lips twitched and she shook her head at them, fondly amused.

"Alright, so I know Henry has to buy the girls presents, just like I do," Finn said returning to his normal voice. "We can both go buy them while you two get whatever you have left."

Tayler nodded. "I only have to buy you two, so that works. We can meet back at the fountain in say… one hour? And then we can go eat something and finish with whatever there's left."

The other three agreed and Henry and Paige rushed out of the shop while Finn and Tayler disposed the beards and went to the cashier to pay for those awful sweaters.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Lily knocked on the door, her heart on her throat. She heard some sounds behind it and then the wooden door slid up showing the entrance to the cave.

"What are you doing here?" Baelfire asked with a frown appearing on the hole.

Lily smiled sheepishly. "Hi?"

Baelfire crossed his arms but his stony expression had slipped a little at the sight of her smile. She was, after all, just a cute little girl.

"My Papa and the Jolly are on a missssion, again. But Pan sssays I can't go with them thiss time."

His face fell. "Are you alone in the island, then?"

"Yesss…?"

Baelfire sighed. He might be resentful and bitter towards his sister, he was jealous and hurt but she was still his sister. He couldn't let her wander around an island full of dangerous Lost Boys and savage animals.

And more important, Peter Pan.

"Come in," he told her sidestepping to make way for her.

Lily blinked. "Really? Brilliant!"

Bae couldn't help but smile at her. Lily walked through the door and took in her brother living space. There wasn't much and were eyes were quickly drawn to a drawing in one of the walls, probably made with a rock.

"You like to draw too?" she asked him.

Baelfire fidgeting, not really knowing what to do with her. "Uh… yeah. I've always liked it, since I was little. Pa- my father used to say it was something I got from her."

"It isss," Lily told him. "Mama usssed to draw, too. She taught me."

Baelfire leaned in interested. "Do you draw, too?" he asked not really realizing the similitude between his question and the one she'd asked before.

"Aye," she nodded smiling shyly.

"I guess that's something we have in common," he said looking everywhere but at her. "Do you know how long they're gonna be out?"

Lily shrugged. "I don't know. It dependsss on the time it takesss them to find the thing. Maybe a couple of weeksss," she didn't seem bothered.

"How are they coming and going from the island?" Baelfire asked curiously.

"Pan'sss shadow," Lily answered. "When we're out it comesss every few dayss to know if we have accomplished the misssion."

"And you've said two weeks?"

Lily looked away from the drawing of port and starboard. "Huh? Oh, well, could be longer. Who knowsss?" she smiled suddenly. "Do you want to hear how we got ssstuck on an isssland full of cannibals sssome time ago?" she asked excitedly.

Baelfire almost groaned; those were going to be some long weeks.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"There they are!" Tayler exclaimed happily. "Have you bought everything you needed?" she tried to peek into Finn's bag.

Finn hugged the bag close to his chest. "Have you?"

Tayler rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes," she pouted. "Can you tell me which one is mine?"

Finn stuck out his tongue to her and Tayler returned the gesture.

"I still need to buy something for Emma," Henry said and a sad look came over his face.

"What? Don't you know what to get her?" Tayler asked.

Henry deflated. "I know what I want to get her but now how I can give it to her. With my mother watching all the time I don't have a way to…" he sighed.

"I can do it for you," Tayler pipped in.

Henry blinked. "You- you can?"

"Yeah, sure. I mean your mom won't be looking at what I do and I'm sure I can go to the station for a few minutes and give her your present. And I'll tell you what she says and everything."

Henry's face lighted up. "You would do that?"

Tayler huffed and passed an arm over his shoulders. "What are friends for?"

Paige smiled. "What did you want to give her?"

Henry's eyes twinkled. "Follow me," he said excitedly.

Finn groaned. "Gods, I hope you aren't going to drag us through the town just to find one stupid thing you found in the first shop again."

Henry turned, almost slipping on a patch of ice on the sidewalk, and grinned. "No, come on! I'll be quick!"

And the four kids rushed through the cold streets of the already dark town only lightened up by the Christmas lights twinkling on almost every shop and house like a collection of cheerful fairies.

.

.

"Merry Christmas!" Tayler said cheerfully.

Emma Swan looked up from the paperwork in front of her. She first seemed surprised and then confused. "Tayler? What are you doing here?" she smirked. "Have you kicked anyone else's butt?"

Tayler grinned. "All the butts in the town are safe," she said. "I thought or Sheriff should also enjoy Christmas."

"Yeah, well, say that to Leroy and his fondness for whisky. I had to arrest him again last night," she turned the chair so she could look at her. "I hope your Christmas has been nicer than mine."

Tayler nodded and jumped to sit on the desk. "Dad, Heidi and I had Christmas Eve dinner last night with Paige's family and some friends. And then this morning we opened the presents."

Emma smiled fondly at the happiness in the girl's face at talking about Christmas. She had lost that kind of excitement way too early; Christmas had never been a cheerful occasion for her.

"What did you get?"

"Oh, Paige got me a set of colours (very professional), and Finn a new sketchbook. Heidi bought me a very girly dress that I'll have to wear at today's dinner and my Dad a new surfboard because mine had an… accident some weeks ago," and then she smirked. "Oh! And Henry got me this book," from her back she got out a new copy of _Peter Pan_. "He believes maybe it will make me remind something."

Emma snorted. "He told you?"

Tayler smiled. "He's a good friend. But I have something else," she said. "He gave me this so I could give it to you."

Emma's eyes widened. "He got me something?" her voice was strangely vulnerable for a grown-up.

"Yes, he's sorry he couldn't give it to you in person," she handed her the lumpy package.

Emma took care not to tear the paper and a soft smile curved her lips. There were some black leather gloves and three wool hats with a card wishing her a happy Christmas. When Emma opened the car Tayler only managed to read upside-down something about not being cold anymore, Operation Cobra, and giving his love.

Emma looked very emotional over the card and for a couple of seconds Tayler regretted being there to watch the mother-son moment instead of the son himself.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Lily slipped once again and she clutched to one of the roots on the ground to keep herself from going down the precipice in a rather painful way.

"How much longer?" she gasped.

Her brother turned to look at her and offered a hand to help her climb to his level. "We're not far. I promise it will be worth it," and he resumed his climbing. "I though you liked to climb all the time back at the Jolly."

"Up the masstss," she huffed. "Not a mountain."

Baelfire grinned. "It's a small one. Come on, we're almost there. You'll love it!"

After spending a week together in Bae's cave and its surroundings (which had worked extremely well to clear the air between the two siblings), Baelfire decided to take his little sister on a field trip. He refused to tell her the destination in mind and Lily wasn't very happy about that.

"Look," he said. "I can see the top."

It wasn't long and thanks to the vines, the roots and the trees growing almost horizontal, and some crevices in the rocks it was an easy ascension.

Bae helped Lily get to the top, a quiet meadow full of colorful flowers, and he smirked when she sat down the grass out of breath. "I though you little kids were full of energy and stuff."

She glared at him and threw him a pebble which he easily ducked.

"What are we doing up here?" she asked once her breathing had returned back to normal.

Baelfire brought a finger to his lips. "Shhh, you'll see it soon. We just have to wait until the sun sets."

To pass the time they started playing dice, this time without any kind of cheating on Lily's part which evened the game a little. The sun set and the temperature dropped; but Bae had already thought of that and he carefully placed a knitted blanket over her shoulders.

She smiled, her eyes twinkling in the growing darkness.

And then a light flashed over some of the flowers on the left. And then another one on the right. Before Lily could ask about it hundreds of tiny lights started twinkling in the night.

"Are they fairies?" she asked in a whisper, afraid of scaring away the beautiful lights.

Baelfire grinned. "No, they are fireflies," he said. "Look, let's get closer."

And when he stood up and took a step more fireflies jumped of the ground to join the others. By the time he had made it to the edge of the meadow dozens of new lights had united the party.

Lily grinned, a giddy feeling in her chest. She started running through the flowers, leaving a wake of fireflies behind her. She got to her brother and grabbed his hand, giggling.

"What are you doing?" he asked amused.

Lily tugged on his arm and dragged him to the middle of the meadow. "Let'sss dance!" she demanded.

"Here?" he asked bewildered.

Lily giggled and twirled. Some of the fireflies circled her and when she opened her arms it looked as if she was in the middle of a firefly-tornado.

Lily's cheerful laughs filled the meadow and Bae new he would fight tooth and nail to hear that laugh as much as possible. There wasn't hatred and bitterness and resentment anymore, only a warm light in the middle of his chest.

 **.**

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 **Awwww… who doesn't love a sweet brotherly moment, huh? Now Bae doesn't hate Lily anymore, but Killian is another story.**

 **Since I can't answer your reviews because you don't have an account, I'll answer you here.**

 **Guest: Some of the chapters are longer than the others because I don't have any kind of self-control and sometimes they just get out of hand. But I don't think you really mind that, do you? Don't worry, you will get some daddy-daughter moments in time. I CAN'T WAIT, EITHER (and I'm the one writing the story, man I've got problems). Thanks for leaving a review.**

 **Katymint (love the name, btw): AHHH! I'm so glad you love it! You'll have to wait a little but you WILL get your answers. Well, I try and sailing, after such a long time on a boat, will always bring out the Lily in Tayler.**

 **I hope you all liked it, tell me what you think.**

 **MW.**


	10. Sister don't cry anymore

**You don't know it but you've been waiting for this chapter, yup. If only a little bit. Enjoy it!**

 **Warning: mentions of child prostitution.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT, sadly.**

 **Sister don't cry anymore.**

There was a feeling of anticipation hanging in the air as everybody stared at the TV.

"Ten, nine, eight…" they chanted.

Tayler made sure her party-hat has straight and clutched the party horn in her hand. A giddy feeling spread through her chest and she shared an excited smile with Paige next to her.

"… four, three, two, one. HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Tayler blew on the horn, her squeak followed by several more. Confetti and serpentine streamers rained over her and tangled in her 2012 glasses.

Paige crashed over her. "Happy new year!" she screamed in her ear and Tayler replied in kind.

Finn toppled over them, his carefully stacked tower of party-hats tilting dangerously on his head. "Happy new year, guys! This year is gonna be AWESOME!"

They screamed back at him.

"Tayler!" her father appeared, a suspicious wobble on his step. "Happy new year, darling."

Tayler wrinkled her nose. "Did you just call me darling?"

He patted her head. "Have you seen Granny? I think I'm going to give her _un bacio_."

" _Un ba-_ what?" muttered Finn.

Tayler made a gagging nose. "Ughh, Dad! I didn't know to hear that. Gods, are you drunk?"

" _Solo un po'_ ," he told her seriously.

"Is he trying to summon the devil?" Finn asked Paige in a whisper.

Tayler shook her head. "Go home, Dad. We'll talk tomorrow morning, alright?"

Marco nodded and dragging his feet he disappeared through the thick of people wishing each other a happy new year.

Paige giggled. "You sounded like the parent there."

Tayler scrunched her eyes shut. "Ughh," she shivered. "I can't get out of my head the picture of my dad and Granny kissing"

"So that's what _un bacio_ means!" Finn exclaimed.

Tayler wrinkled her nose. "He's an old man, he shouldn't be wanting to kiss women anymore."

"He's still a man," Paige reminded her. "And I don't think he wanted to _only_ kiss her," she stated.

It took Tayler a few minutes to comprehend and when she did she gagged, disgusted, and glared at Paige. "Oh my gods! I didn't need that mental picture!" she shivered. "You've ruined my night now."

"I don't understand," Finn said. "Why are you so upset that Marco wanted to hug Granny? I think that's nice."

Paige and Tayler burst into giggles.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

The tavern was dirty and almost falling to pieces. Just like any other tavern in those parts. The Frontlands, on the south of the Enchanted Forest, were not a safe place.

They could hear the drunken singing of the people inside and the smell of beer, among other things, filled the air unpleasantly. Lily wrinkled her nose.

"God, this is awful," Wendy said beside her with the same disgusted expression.

Lily clenched her teeth. "Come on, let's get inside."

"Are you sure your father is here?" Wendy asked.

"No, but I know him. He'll be in the cheapest tavern in a town near the water. We just have to keep trying."

Wendy pursed her lips. "You know I'll follow you to wherever you want to go but this is a terrible plan."

Lily sighed. "I know, but it's the best I've got," her face fell. "I have to find him."

Wendy grabbed her hand. "We will," she promised.

"Let's get in," Lily said and took a deep breath.

Wendy mimicked her and, steeling themselves, both girls entered the tavern.

.

.

"I'm sorry we didn't find anything," Wendy said.

Lily just took a bite of her apple morosely. "I don't know what I expected," she said after chewing. "I mean, this realm is huge and we could be months away from where he is. And it's not like he's going to stay put in one place."

They were on the outskirts of the village, next to the main road. Both girls were sitting on a big rock, a basket with apples, cheese and bread between them.

"You can't give up, Ty," Wendy said. "We came here so you could find him."

Lily looked down at her lap. "It's just so difficult," she said.

"I bet is this place that's bringing you down. Come on, let's find a nicer village."

"Oh, I don't believe you will do that," a man said.

Wendy and Lily turned to the man walking towards them. He came from the town, two huge brutes behind him.

Lily scoffed at the threat and unsheathed her sword. "Are you sure about that?"

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Tayler and Finn tossed rocks at the beach, trying to see which on managed to make it bounce more times.

Tayler was supposed to be home after midnight, but with her father too busy having shots with Leroy she took it as an extension of her free time.

And Finn kept her company seeing that his mother didn't really care for his curfew.

They could see the lights of a bonfire on the distance. It was probably from the older teenagers, who each New Year's made some legendary parties on the beach. Tayler guessed they chose that place because they wouldn't bother anyone and the police wouldn't come (though Emma Swan was actually trying to drink Ruby under the table at that moment), but she really didn't see how it could be fun when it was freezing cold.

Tayler sniffed the air. "I think it's going to start snowing soon."

Finn shivered and rubbed his hands, inside the new gloves Tayler had gotten him, together. "Maybe we should be getting back," he said. "I can't feel my nose."

Some giggling behind them caught their attention and both kids turned. A couple made their way stumbling through the sand but they seemed more preoccupied on each other's lips than on their steps.

"Uggh! Gross!" Tayler wrinkled her nose and turned her head to look back at the horizon.

"The party is that way!" Finn called.

The couple tore apart and the boy tried to fix his reddish eyes on them. He blinked and squinted in the dark. "Hey!" he exclaimed too loudly. "You're Heidi's sister!" he pointed at Tayler.

The girl giggled. "Who's Heidi?"

"She's the girl who was dancing with Kyyyyle," the guy sang the name.

Tayler frowned. "Heidi doesn't dance," she stated.

"I know why now," the girl snorted. "She wasn't very good."

"She was very drunk," the guy said with compassion. "I don't know how she could stand," he shook his head. "And it wasn't _that_ bad."

The girl frowned and swayed on the spot. "You only say that because she's hot!" she exclaimed suddenly angry. "Why don't you go fuck her instead?" and she stormed off.

The boy kept looking at the spot where the girl was for a few seconds, completely transfixed. And then he suddenly straightened up and looked for his companion. "Christie! Christie come back! You know I only want you!" he tripped over the sand on his way after her.

Tayler shared a worried look with Finn. "My sister's drunk," she said. "Do you think I should go help her?"

Finn's face was serious. "My mom had me when she was drunk and she always says it ruined her live."

Tayler jumped to her feet. "Come on! Let's go before she does anything stupid. I'm too young to be an aunt and if Heidi is drunk there's nothing stopping her from jumping at Kyle's bones."

Finn also stood up. "Maybe he'll stop her."

Tayler rolled her eyes. "He's a _guy_."

"Hey!"

.

.

Heidi was easy to spot. She was surrounded by guys, wearing only a thin tank top. One of the guys had a guitar and he strummed the same accords while they all sang out of tune. Kyle had his arm over Heidi's shoulders and a bottle on his free hand.

"Hey! Little kids!" one of the awful singers shouted.

"Get out of here!"

"You're not old enough!"

"Scoot midgets!"

"You have to be at least thirteen!"

"Thirteen?"

"Well, thirteen is _technically_ a teen."

"Huh, that makes sense."

One of the guys stood up. "That doesn't matter. They are little kids. They can't be here," he said. "Go away," he told them.

Tayler completely ignored him. "Heidi! We have to go home. Dad will be back soon and he'll be absolutely mad when he finds you like this."

Heidi's eyes were glassy. "Like what?" Tayler just looked at her unimpressed. "I'm fine," Heidi said breezily.

Tayler knew she wasn't fine. "Okay," she said. "Do the test."

It took the older girl a few moments to understand. "Oh, gods, not that stupid thing," she huffed. "I'm fine, promise."

"Then do it."

Heidi huffed and stood up. Immediately her arms went to her sides to help with her balance. Heidi then walked, stumbled more like it, to stand in front of her sister.

"I don't understand why Uncle Graham had to show us this," she muttered in a slur.

And then Heidi lifted one leg, drawing her knee closer to her face. Her hand closed in a fist with the thumb and the little finger sticking out and she pressed it against her knee. Already having problems maintaining her balance like that, Heidi leaned in so that her forehead could touch her thumb.

And then she promptly fell to the ground.

Most of the guys laughed and even Finn had to hold in his snigger. Kyle jumped to his feet and rushed to the girl on the floor in a more graceful manner than hers moments before.

"Heidi! Are you okay?"

"Ooooow!" Heidi screamed belatedly.

Kyle smirked at that. "Come on," he helped up and passed her arm over his shoulders, holding her close to him. "We'll get you home."

"I don't wanna go home!" Heidi whined. "DON'T LET THE PARTY END!"

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

They were surrounded by thugs, ten of them. Mazes, swords and hammers glinted dangerously in their hands.

Lily's grip on her sword tightened. She could fight with three at the same time, but ten… She shared a look with Wendy and gulped.

"What do you want?" Wendy asked bravely. "We haven't done anything to you."

The leader, the shortest of them all, smirked. "We want money," he said. "And she is going to help us get it," she pointed towards Lily.

"I think I'll pass," Lily said.

"Oh, that's such a shame. You are a cute little girl and I bet Big Mama would make good money with you."

Wendy turned green. "Wait, are you talking about… prostituting her?" her eyes widened scandalized. "She's just a kid!"

The man narrowed his eyes. "Be grateful we're not taking you, too. Big Mama only wants little girls and you are too old."

"Too old? I'm thirteen!"

One of the guys, the younger one, pipped in. "Thirteen. See? That's technically a teenager. Too old for us."

"You are sick," Lily told them. "And you are going to hell."

The leader smiled. "Maybe, but you're coming with us," he turned to his guys. "Seize her."

"What do we do with the teenager?" the youngest asked.

"Try not to kill her," he shrugged.

And then the nine armed thugs launched towards Lily while their boss just looked with a glint in his eyes.

As hard as she fought Lily was no match against nine full-grown men. She managed to deal with two of them before another one grabbed her arms and confiscated her sword.

"A feisty one," he said. "Big Mama will like that."

Two of the thugs were restraining Wendy, who was giving it her best. They seemed amused if nothing else; Wendy wasn't really something to worry about.

"LET HER GO!"

Lily kicked her captor in the balls and made a mad run towards Wendy. They could do it, they could escape.

But then she felt white blinding pain and everything went black. Lily fell face-first to the ground, unconscious to the world.

The technically-a-teenager guy stood behind her, his wooden maze high in the air. He smiled. "There, all done."

Wendy screamed.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Heidi started to sing. Loudly.

"Shhh! Shut up! Is two in the morning!" Tayler scolded her.

"You're no fun. I wanna have fun. Kyyyyyle, do you wanna have fun with me? Let's sing! What's your favorite song? I play the piano, did you know that?"

Kyle looked almost completely sober and also very tired. "Don't you want to sleep? I bet you are very tired right now."

Heidi shook her head. "I wanna dance!" she started to spin but stopped when it went to her head. "Funny, the world's dancing too," she leaned on Kyle's arm. "You have very pretty eyes," she told him.

Tayler knew her sister was going to regret this in the morning. "We have to get her home fast; she was supposed to be there one hour ago while I… well," she laughed to herself. "Let's not think about it. If my dad catches us, we're dead."

"I don't think he will be happy to see Heidi drunk, either," Finn added.

Tayler grimaced. "I know. She wasn't supposed to drink until she was at least seventeen."

Heidi dropped Kyle's arm and leaned on Tayler's shoulder. "What are those sounds I'm hearing?" she asked in a whisper.

Tayler frowned. "What sounds? I don't hear anything."

"Why am I on a cloud?" she wondered throwing her arms open. "Everything feels fuzzy."

Tayler groaned. "Because you're drunk. Something else you wanted to ask?"

Heidi nodded with energy. "Yeah, tell me, why does the air-?"

"I didn't mean it! Shut up please!"

Heidi pouted. "You're no fun," she repeated.

Thankfully they could see the girl's house not far away. The lights were on in the first floor and Tayler bit her lip.

"Dad's home. How are we going to do this?"

Kyle spied the surrounding of the house. "Which one is your room?" he asked Tayler.

"The second one," she pointed. "The one with the blinds open."

"You mean the one with the tree right on front?" Kyle wasn't really asking, more like suggesting.

"Oh, boy, this is going to be very messy," Tayler groaned.

As if to prove her point Heidi threw up on the ground.

.

.

Tayler glanced worriedly at the bathroom door. They had managed to get through the window and then Heidi had run for the toilet.

Tayler had been a good sister and she'd held her hair as Heidi puked once again. She had closed the door of the bathroom, hoping that their father would stay asleep through all the noise Heidi was making.

"I feel awful," Heidi croaked with her cheek against the cold porcelain.

Tayler sighed. "I know. Do you want me to get you some water?" she asked softly.

Heidi made a face. "Yeah. Everything tastes bad."

When Tayler got into the bathroom a couple of minutes later, this time a glass of cold water in her hand, Heidi was still in the same position she had left her in.

"Was Dad downstairs?" Heidi asked.

Tayler shook her head. "I think he's still in his room. He must have forgotten and left the lights on," she watched as Heidi drank the glass. "Do you want to go to bed now?"

"Can you stay with me?" Heidi asked with wide eyes. "I feel like everything is spinning and I need something to hold onto," her eyes softened. "And thanks for all this, you're the best sister I could ask for."

Tayler smiled back. "Well, I just hope you don't throw up all over me."

Heidi mock glared at her.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Everything was dark and the air smelt like potatoes. She could feel her breath against a cloth all over her head and her hands were tied up tightly behind her back.

« _Brilliant_ » Lily thought bitterly.

She was bouncing up and down on a not-very comfortable seat so she guessed she was on a cart. Probably a closed one by the lack of noises around her.

There was a knocking and the sound of wood sliding. "One of the girls is awake, sir."

Oh, so she wasn't alone.

In fact Lily could now hear the breathing of other people and feel their fidgeting moving the seat. Heat against her sides told her that two other bodies, probably more kids, were surrounding her.

"Let her be, she won't do anything from where she is," answered another man and Lily recognized him as the leader.

The ropes where tight against her wrists and when she tried to untie them her fingers met chubby hands. Lily frowned and caught one finger in her hand, the finger squirmed and a scared whimper broke out behind Lily.

Well, since she couldn't untie herself…

Working the other kid's knots wasn't easy but living on a ship for a long time she was an expert on them. The fell apart under her skilled fingers and Lily caught the kid's hands before he (or she) could give them away.

Thankfully the kid understood and as quietly as they could they started undoing Lily's restraints.

Once they were both free Lily got rid of the potato sack covering her head. The guard in the cart with them, a rather big cart she had to admit, turned at the sound and his eyes widened.

Lily jumped over him before he could shout out in alarm and her eyes met two green ones across the cart while the body beneath her stilled. Lily cleaned the man's sword on his own body and started freeing all the other girls in complete silence.

They were scared; the older one looked to be around eleven. Lily felt a flash of fury against their captors and her eyes flashed dangerously.

She brought a hand to her lips and then pointed to the ground. " _Stay here_ ," she mouthed. Some of the little girls nodded.

And then Lily kicked the door of the cart open, sword high and fire in her eyes, ready to fight for her freedom and for the girls with her.

.

.

"What are you going to do?" Diana asked.

Lily had defeated the men with ease. They hadn't been expecting one of the little girls to attack them and, much less, defeat them. Even some of the other girls joined the fray with the weapons of the fallen in their hands.

The girls had all looked at Lily then, an unspoken agreement had fallen over them and Lily had become their leader even if she wasn't the oldest in the group.

They had searched the bodies and the horses, piling up their new loot. The bodies were rounded and thrown in the cart which was then set on fire.

Lily organized the twenty or so girls so that each could be on top of a horse, even if on some of the animals' backs rode three. Then they had set off, trying to put some distance between them and the burning bodies of the horrible man.

After riding all day and most of the night Lily had finally accepted to stop and they all had installed a quick camp and huddled around the bonfire. Lily had divided their loot in equal parts between them and then went to stand on the boundaries of the meadow they were in to look at the stars.

"I'm going to find my father and Wendy," she said.

Diana laded her head curiously. "Your sister?"

Lily wasn't about to explain the complicated relationship to a six year old. "Yeah, my sister. She must be pretty worried about me."

"I bet my Papa is worried too," Diana's face fell. "I want to go home."

Lily steeled herself. "I'll get you home," she promised and her eyes went back to the camp. "I'll get all of you home."

"But what about your family?" Diana wondered.

Lily felt a pang of pain and sadness but she pushed it down. "I'll find them later. Once all of you are safe."

« _You'll have to wait for me, Wen_ ," she thought to the skies.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Her neck hurt and there was something heavy on her stomach, making it difficult to breathe. Her legs were trapped, too, and her hand was tangled onto something soft. And worst of all, there was a wet patch of her PJ's clinging to the skin of her stomach.

Tayler opened her eyes.

She was on her room, in her bed. The sun coming from the window told her it wasn't very late, maybe ten in the morning. Her trapper was Heidi, who was sleeping all over her sister and drooled over her stomach.

Tayler made a face. She was sitting up and her head had dropped when she'd fallen asleep, which explained why her neck hurt so much.

"Heidi, wake up," Tayler shook her sister.

Heidi just grumbled. Tayler kicked her out of the bed and Heidi fell to the floor with a squeal. Tayler knew her sister would have jumped over her and started a fight if she wasn't so hungover.

So Heidi just grimaced, winced at the sunlight and covered her eyes with her hand.

Tayler sniggered and ran downstairs to fix herself some breakfast. She froze on the lasts steps at the sight of her father sleeping on the couch, a pool of drool in the cushion.

Heidi had dragged herself down the stairs, too, and she made a face at the sight of their dad on the couch.

"Hello?" Archie's voice came from the streets. "Is anybody up? Marco? Marco, are you up?" Archie knocked on the door. "Marco?" he called.

"Polo!" Tayler and Heidi shouted back.

Tayler grinned; it never got old.

The young girl when to open the door at the shrink and smiled happily. "Hi, I'm afraid he's still isn't up."

Archie seemed amused. "I really don't blame him. At four in the morning he was still partying, Sheriff Swan had to bring him home."

Tayler's face fell. "What? He wasn't home?" she huffed. "And to believe I almost broke my neck sneaking Heidi up my window when we just could have used the front door."

Archie's eyes glinted. "What?"

Tayler smiled innocently. "Nothing. Would you like some tea?"

The man laughed out loud but accepted nonetheless.

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 **So… do you know who's Heidi now? I'm sorry for the lack of Killian in the chapter!**

 **Katymint: Hello there! I have to confess that I spent a long time thinking what could Henry get Emma, also knowing that he had little money, but I refuse to believe he wouldn't get her anything just because he couldn't give it to her. I'm so glad you liked it! (Now, don't ask me what Emma got Henry because I really have no idea).**

 **Ollie: Don't worry, there will be more Lily and Bae (Tiger Thief, maybe? Tiger Fire? IDK) It's funny you ask me that because right now I'm writing about it, but that doesn't mean it has to be on the next chapter. Nop, not going to answer that, it may or it may not have been an escape. You'll have to wait.**

 **MW.**


	11. Faith, trust

**So yes, Heidi is Wendy and it seems nobody was really expecting that. Killian is back in this chapter, which should make you happy.**

 **Enjoy it!**

 **Disclaimer: you know it already, don't you?**

 **Faith, trust.**

The hand full of rings slammed the drawing on the wooden table. The candles tittered and the glasses clinked.

"This is what we are looking for," he said.

Lily leaned in and grabbed the piece of parchment. "It's a dagger," she said plainly.

His eyes shone bright. "Not just any dagger," he said. "This dagger possesses the power of controlling the Dark One and it's also the only thing that can kill him regardless of his magic."

Lily regarded the drawing with new eyes. "And you know this because a man in the tavern told you? You trust that information?" she asked suspiciously.

"The best discoveries have started in the loud company of a town tavern."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Papa… I'm not sure about this," she said.

Killian sighed. "It's the only thing we have right now. And that is better than nothing. We need to get out this island now, Lily; we've been here far too long. At least with this now we have an aim, a purpose."

Lily sighed. "There are many daggers in the Enchanted Forest," she stared. "How would we know which is the one we are looking for?"

"It has the name of the Dark One written on its blade," he said.

Lily blinked. "Oh! That's convenient," she fell silent for a few moments. "How are we going back to the Enchanted Forest? Pan isn't going to let us leave just like that and you know that no one leaves this island without his permission."

Her father's face was grim. "I think it's time we make one final deal with that demon," he straightened. "I'm taking Smee to the shore, see if we can talk to him. You take care of the ship."

She rolled her eyes once again. "I'm your second-in-command," she reminded him. "Of course I'll take care of the Jolly. It wouldn't be the first time."

Killian smiled proudly. "I know. You should try finishing the Map, too."

Lily looked down at the huge map drawn with intricate detail. Even the trees of the Dark Jungle were carefully sketched. It looked more like a piece of art than a map. Her hair fell over it, covering most of the east side; the colorful feathers braided into her brown locks (the spoils of war from the Neverbird she'd defeated all those years ago on her own) reflected the light from the candle in an entrancing way.

"Don't get killed," Lily told him shaking her head and looking up at him.

.

.

Captain Hook and Mr Smee didn't return alone to the ship, hours later. A beautiful blonde woman was with them, a scowl on her face as the two pirates rowed the dinghy back to the ship.

"Captain on deck!" Jim called when Killian stepped on the vessel. "Who is the lady?" he asked gesturing towards her.

"Tink!" Lily burst through the pirates and smiled at the once-fairy. "What are you doing here?"

Tinkerbell smiled. "Tiger Lily," she nodded at her. "Pan has enlisted me to help the Captain on a mission."

"Do you two know each other?" Jim asked.

Lily waved him off. "She's friends with Bae," she turned to the fairy. "What kind of mission?"

Killian stepped in. "Pan wants us to go to _Pixie Island_ and steal some pixie dust. He says he'll let us have some to return to the Enchanted Forest, though we'll have to give him back the Siren's charm once we end with the mission"

Lily scowled. "If we give him the charm how are we going to get back to the Enchanted Forest? Without the charm we can't open anymore portals."

Killian's eyes glinted. "That's what the pixie dust is for."

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Tayler eyed the cards in front of her with a smile. « _You are awful! Die, please!_ » and « _I hope you rot in hell for all eternity_ » stared back at her with bright, cheerful colors and surrounded by hearts.

« _Have the most awful Valentine's Day_ » was written inside.

Tayler exchanged a grin with Finn and Paige, the two of them also with similar cards. It was their not-a-Valentine-card tradition and they did it each year.

"I bet you would want to make Henry a real one," Tayler whispered lowly to her best friend.

Paige elbowed her with a scowl and Tayler hid her giggles behind her hand. Her card to Henry wished him to die between terrible sufferings and the trademark _Have the most awful Valentine's Day_. Since the boy was sitting on another table Tayler had to get creative with the delivery.

The not-a-Valentine-card/paper plane crashed catastrophically against the floor not even close to its target. Finn burst out laughing and he had to hide his face between his arms to keep silent. Paige was also biting her lip, but her eyes were filled with mirth.

Tayler had to sneak to recover the fallen plane painfully slow, trying not to make any noise that would alert Mr. Woods, their history teacher. Some of the other kids turned to look at her, sniggering and not even listening to Mr. Woods anymore.

Not that any of them cared anyway.

Finally Tayler retrieved the plane and launched towards Henry. It smashed against the nape of his neck and Henry turned with a glare.

Tayler waved at him innocently. Henry narrowed his eyes.

While Tayler made her way back to her seat, Henry's gaze was caught by the brightly pink card with yellow and orange letters and red hearts. His heart skipped a beat and he leaned over to catch it.

He snorted. And then two more paper airplanes landed on the table also wishing him « _to burn with the fire of a thousand suns_ » and « _to just be done with it already_ ».

.

.

"It's something we've always done," Paige explained him once they were outside the classroom.

"Yeah, while someone," Tayler gagged at the sight of Tina, giggling loudly with a huge bouquet of roses, and Ethan talking softly next to the doors. ", likes to go all gooey and stuff we decided long ago to do these things our way."

"And because none of us has a girlfriend… or boyfriend," Finn said.

"Who wants one anyways?" Tayler huffed. "So, Herny, did you find your book yet?"

Henry's face fell. "No, and I've searched everywhere."

Finn leaned towards him. "Everywhere, _everywhere_?"

"Well, not really _everywhere_ just, you know, the places where it could have gone. My house, the park and stuff."

Tayler clicked her tongue with mock disappointment. "You'd do a terrible detective. You have to look through all the places, even those where you know it couldn't have gone."

"Especially those," Finn added.

Henry laughed. "Then what? I have to look all over town?"

Finn and Tayler shared a look. Paige groaned. "Oh, no, nonononono. Not this again. We have other things to do, we can't just st-"

"Search party!" they both exclaimed.

"Well need provisions and stuff. And a map of Storybrooke," Tayler started listing.

Finn jumped in. "Do you and Heidi still have those walkie-talkies?"

Tayler grinned and nodded. "Perfect! This way we can cover much more ground! Henry! Do you have a scooter or something?"

Henry shook his head. "I have a bike but it's back home."

Tayler nodded to herself. "Okay, okay-okay. This is what we'll do. Paige you'll take Henry to his house to get his bike, meanwhile Finn and I will go to my house to get the walkie-talkies. We all should grab water and something to eat. And I have a map at my house."

"Oh, oh! We need codenames!" Finn blurted out, excited.

Paige sighed, even if she was also getting swept away by their excitement. "What about we go back to class first."

The three of them pouted like little kids.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

 _Pixie Island_ was on the south of Neverland, it was one of the Spire Islands, which were rather treacherous to sail to. The sea around them was plagued with hidden rocks and sudden currents. They had lost more than one dinghy (and several men) on their way there.

"Alright," Captain Hook stood tall over his crew. "Starkey, Mullins, Lily, you're with me and the lady. Jim, Skylights, take care of the ship. Smee, watch them. And the rest of you make sure nothing happens to the Jolly," he lowered his voice. "Or else I swear throwing you to the mermaids will be the kindest thing I'll do to you."

"Aye, aye, Captain!"

Lily was carrying a small bag and her cutlass. She knew the pixies were vicious little creatures and very territorial. They defended their dust tooth and nail.

Jim stared firmly at his cousin. "Be careful."

Lily rolled her eyes. "I think I can deal with some mosquitoes."

He huffed. "You know they don't stay that way all the time. You know how they are. And they have the pixie dust, after all," he scowled. "I can't believe he's making you go again."

"I'll be fine," Lily said exasperated.

.

.

The trip to the island wasn't very long. Starkey and Mullins were the ones to row while Lily and Tinkerbell chatted lowly and Killian gazed at the waters to guide them safely.

The beach was deserted, but they weren't really expecting a welcome committee. The trek to the high parts of the island was also tranquil. At least until the first arrow.

The pixies were lightly-clothed, messy haired and pointy eared beings. Whenever they had to deal with outsiders they took a bigger form, just a little taller than a ten-year-old, but usually they were the size of a thumb.

They were vicious with pixie dust on their side and they didn't like it when someone went to claim it. It was why Pan never went and always sent someone to do the work for him.

One of them screamed with delight at the sight of Lily. "It's the Princess!" he called.

And that's why Lily didn't like going to see the pixies. Every time they saw her they tried to kidnap her. But she knew she had to go, because otherwise they wouldn't get the chance to bargain some of the dust.

By some strange reason, maybe because Lily was the only human girl they had ever seen and she was the closer to their height, they believed her to be the long waited Indian Princess of their stories. And they were convinced she had to help them.

Some more pixies dropped from the trees around them. "Princess, princess," they chanted.

Lily sighed and glared at her snickering father. Since they always managed to escape and they didn't really want to hurt Lily, he'd decided to be amused by those situations.

"You never told me you were a Princess," Tinkerbell whispered.

Lily grimaced. "I'm not. They believe I am, but I'm not."

Another pixie jumped from a high branch and landed with remarkable agility in front of them. Her hair was a mass of red curls and her eyes were wide and violet. She kneeled in front of Lily and offered her bow.

"Princess Tiger Lily," she said solemnly. "We welcome you to the Lands for you to fulfill your destiny."

Lily groaned. "Look, Sun Eagle," she started. "I'm not here to «fulfill my destiny» or anything. We're here for some pixie dust."

Sun Eagle scowled and she stood up. "You can't have the dust. It's ours, and we're not going to let you steal it away for _Pan_ ," she sneered at the name. "And much less with a _fairy_ ," she spat. "at your side."

"Hey!" Tinkerbell exclaimed.

Lily turned to her father. "Why did we need the pixie dust again?"

He smirked. "To leave the island."

"Ah, right," she sighed. "I don't want to hurt you," she said. "But we really need the dust from the Tree. So, tell me," she unsheathed her sword. "Are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way."

But she already knew the answer.

Sun Eagle screamed and thousands of arrows dripping pixie dust were launched towards them.

The hard way it was, then.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Emma Swan glared at the wall in front of her. She had retrieved almost all of Gold's stolen things in half a day but did she get a thank you? Nooo! The man was bitter because there was something missing.

Well, excuse her for not being a superhuman radar capable of finding some man on the run in a few hours. Especially with Storybrooke's crappy technology.

She couldn't stand that man.

The hand-held in the table cracked and Emma smiled at the notion of talking with her son. It had been a long time since she'd last spoken with him.

But it wasn't her son's voice that came out of the radio.

"One, two, three. Testing, testing. Can you hear me alright?" Tayler Carpenter asked. "Do you copy?"

"I copy," a girl said.

"I copy," also repeated a boy.

"I copy, too," Henry said.

Emma smirked. What where they up to?

"Operation Sparrow is on!" Henry said.

There was a huff. "I still don't understand why is called that way," the boy wondered.

Henry was the one to answer with his usual excitement. "Because we're going to find buried treasure!"

"Over," Tayler said and the other made sounds of confusion. "You have to say over when you're done talking so we know you're done," she clarified. "Over," she added.

"Well, I'm done. _Over_ ," Henry said.

Emma smiled to herself. Ahh, kids these days.

"So, here's the plan. Snuggle-bunny and Honeybunch, you'll cover the town. Maybe try breaking into the Library and check on Honeybunch's mum's office."

"I forgot," the boy said. "Who's Snuggle-bunny? Over."

Tayler snickered. "Paige. And Henry's Honeybunch. Over."

"I still don't know why we have to have these stupid names," Henry grumbled. "I wanted cool ones. Over."

"Because this way is funnier. Over," Tayler said.

"Oh, who am I, then?"

Tayler groaned. "Can't you remember anything? You're Sweetie-pie. And, before you ask, I'm Cuddle-cakes. Over."

Emma had to laugh out loud at the cover names. She wouldn't let Henry live that down, or as it was more like it: Honeybunch.

"Well, anyways, Sweetie-pie and I will cover the woods. See if maybe it got lost around somewhere. Sweetie-pie, meet me at Granny's in half an hour with your provisions. Over and out."

"Yes, Cuddle-cakes. Over and out."

"Well, He-Honeybunch, I guess I'll come to your house, then," Snuggle-bunny said over the crackling static.

"See ya then. Over and out."

.

.

Emma had some fun listening to the kids all afternoon. They explained to the others each and every one of their movements and even talked to each other by the radio even if they were few feet apart.

And also Tayler tried to use their codenames as often as possible, bringing them up every few minutes. She even sweetened her voice to make them even more cheesy.

"Granny's freezer is clear. Only lots and lots of frozen lasagna," Snuggle-bunny informed. "I can't believe her lasagna is frozen. Over."

"Sweetie-pie and will be returning to the town soon. There's nothing to see here. Right now we're just following a van, trying to see if they'll give us a ride back to town. I'm sorry we couldn't find your book, Henry. Over."

Henry sighed. "It's all right. I knew it wasn't going to work out. Over."

"Whoa, whoa," Sweetie-pie gasped. "Mr Gold was driving the van. But I didn't know he had one. Over."

Emma leaned in towards the radio. Gold? In the woods? Maybe it would explain why all trace of Moe French was gone.

"He doesn't. It's the one from _Game of Thorns_. Over," Tayler explained confirming Emma's suspicions.

"What is he doing in the woods?" Snuggle-bunny wondered.

"Bloody hell!" Tayler exclaimed. "He has a gun!" she whispered harshly. "He has a bloody gun!" Emma stood up, ready to burst into action.

"He's talking to someone in the back of the van," Sweetie-pie said. "It's Moe French. He's making him go to the inside of the cabin."

Emma grabbed the radio. "Stay right where you are and stay hidden. Don't let him see you, do you hear me? I'm coming, okay?"

There was a silence and Emma would have grinned if she wasn't so worried for those two kids.

"Emma?" Henry squeaked. "Have you been listening all this time?"

"You should have changed the frequency," Emma smirked. "Honeybunch."

Henry groaned and Emma could hear some sniggers from his friends.

"She needs a codename, too," Tayler declared. "What would you like?"

"Oh, sure, you ask _her_ ," Sweetie-pie grumbled.

Emma wasn't expecting that question. "Captain Swan," she said the first thing that popped into her head. "Now, Cuddle-cakes, Sweetie-pie, I need you two to tell me exactly where you are and to _remain hidden_ ," she stressed.

"Maybe you should call an ambulance, too," Tayler said.

Emma winced and gulped.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Lily tightened the knot on her father's shoulder and he winced.

"Don't be such a baby," she scolded him and he glared at her. "It's not that bad."

Killian grimaced. "Wounds infected with pixie dust are a lot more painful than normal ones," he reminded her. "You're lucky they believe you their Indian Princess and they don't really try to hurt you."

Lily made a face. "That's not true. Remember over a century ago or so? They tried throwing me of a cliff. Good thing I had some pixie dust just in case," she wrinkled her nose. "But that only convinced them more that I was the one they had been waiting for."

"And there was that time they tried setting us all on fire," he reminded her.

"Oh, right! I had forgotten," she huffed. "I am so happy we are leaving this blasted island at last."

Killian put his hand on his daughter's shoulder and gave a little squeeze. "I am happy too. And I'm sorry it has taken us so long to finally get what we want."

Lily nudged him. "It's alright. We're going home now."

Captain Hook lost his gaze on the horizon. "Home…" he mused. "I wonder where that is now."

"Wherever we chose to," she said. "Wherever we're together."

He smiled and ruffled her hair. "You are right. Wherever we're together," he repeated. "The infamous but devilishly handsome Captain Hook and the fearless Princess Tiger Lily scourging the seven seas."

Lily grinned. "But first we have to get out of Neverland. How are we doing this, exactly?"

"We'll take some of our men to Pan's camp, wherever it may be this time. Then we'll give him the charm and _some_ of the dust. Pan has already promised us safe passage and so he'll have to keep his word."

"And then we go home," Lily said.

"And then we go home."

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"You won't believe it!" Henry bounced excited on his seat.

"We don't have therapy today?" Tayler guessed happily.

Henry's face fell. "No," he went back to smiling. "My mom, Emma, found the book! She gave it to me yesterday!"

Tayler grinned, happy for her friend. "That's brilliant! Awesome! How did it happen?"

"She said she found it in a gutter," he started searching for the book in his backpack. "Anyways, I need to find a safe place to hide it but on the meantime… would you mind holding into it for a few days?"

Tayler's eyes went wide. "You're trusting me your book?"

Henry smiled. "Sure, you're my best friend, I trust you. Besides, you have only read one part, maybe you'll like it," he placed it into Tayler's hands.

"I-I-I'll take care of it," she stammered. "I promise."

Henry started walking to the bus stop where his mom would pick him up. None of them used the bus anymore, with Paige using the bike she'd gotten for Christmas and Finn and Tayler their skates.

"I know!" Henry said. "I'll see you tomorrow. Tell me what you think!"

And Tayler nodded, hugging the book close to her chest, still looking at him with her blue eyes wide.

.

.

 _«North in front of where you are, it's just pointing to the star.»_

« _Mama! Please! Mama! Wake up! Wake up, please!»_

 _«South is just the other side, always take it in stride.»_

« _She attacked them viciously… just like a tiger. A Tiger… Lily._ »

 _«Let's not forget the left, that's where you have the West.»_

« _She left me, she abandoned me but she chose you!»_

 _«And last of all is the right, which is where the East just lies._ »

Tayler woke up with a gasp, a scream caught in her throat. Her hearth beat out of control and she could feel a headache starting between her eyes.

She rubbed her face. The remains of the dream were slipping away but she knew it had unsettled her somehow.

Her glance fell to the book on her lap, opened in the middle of Prince Charles, Prince Charming and Snow White rescue adventure. She closed it harder than it was needed and left it on her bedside table.

It must have been something she had eaten. Or maybe she had a cold.

But that didn't shake off the feeling of uncertainty creeping low on her back.

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 **So… there's that. I hope you liked it. And you had a sweet Killian-Lily moment.**

 **Katymint: well, I would have put some more clues but I always think I'm saying too much (when I am clearly not). Yeah, in the show they are most of the time together and it's said they have dinner and stuff. And also Archie treats Tayler so they should be even closer now. I couldn't help it! It was begging me to write it!**

 **Olly: Yeeesss! She is! Don't worry, nobody did. Now you can start worrying about who Finn is. How could she find Wendy? Well, that's for me to know and for you to find out (which you will, in time).**

 **MW.**


	12. As white as snow

**Did you know that this story has over 5,000 views? OMG! I can't believe it! And over 50 followers, too, which is amazing. Thank you guys!**

 **Sooo… this is a long chapter, but there's no Killian here. Obviously there is some Snow Lily, as you can guess from the title, which Ollie asked for. I hope this is what you wanted!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT.**

 **As white as snow.**

"Dad, Dad, pleeease," Tayler begged. "Buy me a candle?"

Marco sighed. "Alright," he smiled at Mary Margaret behind the counter. "Two, please."

Miss Blanchard smiled. "Of course," she got two candles from one of the cardboard boxes. "Here you go."

Marco handed her the money with a slight nod and gave one of the candles to his daughter. "Do you have anything to light it up?" he asked the teacher.

Miss Blanchard searched among the clutter on the table. "Yes, here," she gave him a box of matches.

"It's a good thing you were here when the lights went out," Tayler told her. "We would all have been in the dark, then."

Miss Blanchard smiled to herself. "Yeah, a good thing."

"But I think it's cooler with the candles and everything," Tayler's eyes were wide. "It's almost… magical."

They both looked around the place bathed by the soft light of the candles. "You're right. It does look magical."

Tayler stood on her tiptoes and leaned over the counter. "I don't think you are a tramp," she told her in a confidential whisper. "I think it's nice that you and Mr. Nolan love each other so much you would want to be together despite everything."

Mary Margaret's face fell but Tayler grinned at her, oblivious. "Thanks, Tayler."

The girl bounced on the spot and then turned to her father. "Come on, Dad! Finn, Henry and I have a competition on who can win more prizes at the tin can throw. I'm so going to win!"

And she dragged the old man through the crowd, clutching the candle close to her heart. Her two friends weren't far, loudly arguing about who had managed to hit more cans in that round.

"Don't worry," she told them. "I am here now and you both are going to lose," she stated confidently.

Finn narrowed his eyes, the competitiveness clouding his eyes. They sized each other up, with equal glares of determination and turned towards the game at the same time.

"You are going down," Finn told her.

"We'll see about that."

.

.

In the end their competition spread through all the games in the fair, tying to beat each other at each one of them.

Henry won.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

The sword clanked against the sack, spilling flour everywhere. Lily turned and hit it again, and again, and again. The shirt clung to her body, sticky with sweat, and her brown curls were tied up in a ponytail, whipping the air behind her.

"Granny was wondering where all her flour went," a voice said behind her. "I see most of it ended up in your hair."

Lily lowered her sword, panting, and turned to look at the princess. "Snow," she nodded.

"Ty, what's wrong?" Snow walked towards the child with a worried expression on her face. "You've been acting strange lately."

Lily bit her lip and stared at the woman with wide eyes. Snow smiled gently and laid a hand on her shoulder. The princess crouched a little so that she was eye-to-eye with the girl.

"Today is my birthday," Lily blurted. "And today is the first time I grow old without my father by my side. And my mom…" she breathed raggedly and left the sentence unfished.

Snow's face fell. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. "But, you know what?" she straightened. "We are going to have a party," she said. "And I'll ask Granny to bake you a cake and we'll have a feast."

Lily furrowed her brow. "We're in the middle of a war camp," she reminded her. "We can't have a feast. And the soldiers will get drunk, that's the last thing we need. What if we're ambushed?"

Snow hugged her shoulders. "You worry too much. The scouts haven't seen traces of George's army or Regina's men in miles. Besides, the men need a little distraction; we have all been too worried lately. And we can't let your birthday go by just like that."

Lily smiled to herself. "Now you sound just like my mum."

"She's dead, isn't she?" Snow asked.

The dark look on Lily's face was all the answer she needed.

.

.

Lily stole one of the olives in Red's plate and popped in her mouth before she could say anything.

"Hey! That was mine!" Red protested.

Lily grinned at her. "It's my birthday," she reminded her.

Red scowled. "It's not like you even wanted to celebrate it in the first place. Now you're stealing my food?"

Prince James stood up on one of the tables full of food. They were all mingling about, most of them sitting on rocks, three stumps or even the ground.

"This party is to celebrate the ninth birthday of our youngest soldier," he started.

"And the deadliest!" Lily called.

Charming made a face. "We'll see about that," he was reluctant to let Lily fight, despite her assurances that she could defend herself quite well. "Anyway, happy birthday Tiger Lily and many happy returns," he raised his goblet on a toast. "Maybe by next year she'll have learnt how to ride a horse!"

The men chuckled and Lily made a face. "Don't count on it."

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"Come on!" Henry tugged on her wrist.

Tayler ran after him, still trying to zip up her jacket. "I'm on it! I'm on it!" she huffed. "But it's not like she's going anywhere," she huffed.

Henry glared at her. The doors to the station were already on their sights and they raced each other to them. Tayler won and Henry pouted at her.

"You always win."

She grinned. "That's because I'm faster than you."

The two kids made their way towards the holding cells, where their teacher was calmly reading the newspaper. Her head lifted when she heard them enter and she smiled softly.

"Tayler, Henry, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in school?"

"We're on our way to it," Tayler skipped to the couch next to Miss Blanchard's cell and propped herself down on it. "I brought you a book," she told her. " _Love Story_ from…" she read the cover. "Erich Segal. Miss Porter thought you'd like it."

Miss Blanchard smiled as she took the book. "Jane has always been a romantic," she caressed the cover as she thought about the Art teacher. "Love means never having to say you're sorry," she quoted and a strange look crossed her face.

"So, how's the investigation going?" Henry asked. "Where's my m-Emma, by the way?"

Miss Blanchard sighed. "She's on our apartment, looking if there's some sign of a break in."

"Well, I hope she finds something," Tayler told her. "Classes are very boring without you. And Mrs. Mason keeps going on how she knew you were a… well, you know and how she can't believe they let a murder in the school."

Henry nodded leaning against cell's bars. "She's mean."

"And Bobby and Ethan and most of the class believes you really killed Mrs. Nolan and they won't listen to us!" she huffed.

Miss Blanchard's eyes went soft. "So you don't think I killed Kathryn?" she wondered.

Tayler and Henry snorted at the same time. "Of course not!" she said. "It's ridiculous."

"My mom is setting you up," Henry declared. "We are going to help you tell the truth," he straightened. "Come on, Ty, we have to go."

Tayler blinked and sat up on the couch. "Why does it sound like we aren't going to the school?"

Henry smirked. "Because we aren't. We are going to help Emma find the truth and make her believe."

Miss Blanchard scowled. "You really should be getting to the school. You can't skip because of me."

"Well, it's not like we're doing anything there anyway," Tayler jumped from the couch with a grin. "What's the plan, Honeybunch?"

"Honeybunch?" Miss Blanchard held back her snigger.

Henry groaned. "I _hate_ that codename," he glared at Tayler. "Well, we should go to the loft, see if we can find something."

"Well, I just hope my dad doesn't catch us. I have a bet with Paige, see if I can keep myself ungrounded until at least her birthday."

"Isn't her birthday in like a week? March 21st," Henry asked.

Tayler grinned elated. "Glad you remember. So, if we keep from sight, perfect. I really don't want to start singing around the whole town."

Henry sputtered. " _That's_ the bet?"

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Charming moved one of the red pieces over the map on the table and they all stared hard. The red pieces stood for Kings George's army while the black ones were Regina's. Snow White and all her allies they'd gathered all through many kingdoms, were blue.

A big blue mass stood in the middle, surrounded by ensembles of red and black pieces.

"They have us surrounded," the Prince muttered. "Dammit!" he punched the table.

Lily leaned in over the map sprawled all over the table. "Not all of us," she said. "We still can ask the Northern Kingdom to send his men. He will be behind George's soldiers."

Charming frowned. "But then there's no way they can get to us. And we have no way of sending a message; they've been intercepting all our scouts."

"Well…" Lily tilted her head. "How long would it take our men to get here?" she pointed to the pieces that were George's soldiers.

Hector Wilson, one of the generals in charge and part of the council of war, was the one to answer the little girl. "Almost two weeks."

"And a messenger to the Kingdom?"

"Only two days, maybe three."

Lily nodded and pointed to two of the red spots on the middle of the map. "These are the closest men George has to them," she pointed to the soldiers on the north. "If the scouts see that we are moving, it would take them, what? Three days to send word? By the time they get there we'll have already finish with this regiment. And if we don't send the whole army and rely on the Northern Kingdom to help, George will have to send only some of his men to keep also this position. And we'll be able to fend them off on both sides. Here and there."

Snow, Hector and Charming peered over the map with new eyes. Sung Lin, the commander of the troops sent by the Emperor, stared at Lily with admiration and newfound respect.

"That could work," Snow said. "Regina won't be able to intervene either because she's too far and she can't magically transport a whole army."

Charming's face fell. "But we don't have a way to send word to the Northern Kingdom. All our messengers have been killed and their heads have been sent back," he grimaced.

Lily grinned. "Why don't leave that to me?"

Snow scoffed. "If you think we are going to let a little girl walk through the middle of a potential battlefield just like that…"

"But that's the point!" Lily said excitedly. "They won't expect you to send a _little girl_ with such an important message. They won't even expect you to have a little girl in your ranks at all."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," Charming said unconvinced. "Besides, you refuse to learn how to ride a horse; you won't even be able to escape if you're ambushed."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Like that has helped all the others," she scoffed. "Maybe you can distract them. Lure some of the closest men in, throw them off. The biggest regiment is the one in the South, they're too far away to really intervene. But maybe you can finish off with some while I relay the message and make them march to war."

Sung Lin turned towards Hector. "How long would it take her to get to the Northern troops?"

"Four days probably," Hector looked uneasy. "And they would need almost three weeks to get to George's men."

Sung Lin nodded thoughtfully. "So let's say we give you five days to relay the message. The troops will need two or three more to get ready. That makes four weeks."

"But we have no way of knowing she has gotten there," Charming pointed out.

Snow looked up from the map. "I guess we'll just have to have faith in her."

Lily's eyes widened. "Does that mean…?"

Snow made a face. "I don't like it. I think it's stupid, reckless and dangerous. And it will probably get us all killed. But I trust you and this is the best plan we have got so far. We can't lose hope, not now, not ever."

"Regina and my father have had the upper hand for too long," the Prince sighed. "I think it's time we turn the tables on them."

Suddenly Hector grinned. "I swear if this is the play that starts King George's downfall I'll be laughing for a long time. It will be written on the songs « _The time the king was defeated by a little girl_ »."

Snow walked towards Lily with a small smile and hugged her around the shoulders. "Come with me to our camp. You need to pack."

Lily matched her steps. "When do I leave?"

"Tomorrow at dawn," Snow said. "And I hope for your sake you get out of this alive or I swear I'll make Regina bring you back just so I can kill you myself."

Lily grinned. "I didn't know you cared so much."

Snow smiled. "You've grown on me," she ruffled her hair. "Besides, you still owe Charming that duel."

"But that's not my fault!" she sputtered. "He keeps pulling it off," she scowled. "Why can't he just admit he's afraid of losing to a nine-year-old?"

And Snow's laughs flooded the camp full of angry, sad and scared soldiers ready to march to war.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Tayler glared smugly at Ethan. "I _told_ you she was innocent!"

Ethan deflated on his seat in front of her and Paige. "I know, I know. I'm sorry."

"Well, you should tell her that," Tayler scowled.

"We all should," Paige said suddenly. "We should get her something."

Tina, on the table next to them leaned in. "We could write her a card! Everybody could sign it!"

"That's awesome! To show her we believe in her!" Olivia pipped in.

Clivig frowned. "But we didn't, well most of us didn't. That would be kind of… what's the word? Hypo… hyposomething."

"Hypocrite?" Paige suggested.

Clivig snapped his fingers. "That!" he smiled. "Well, it would be. And she would know that."

Tayler scoffed. "And what do you want us to write then? « _We're so glad you didn't kill Mrs. Nolan_ »?"

They all shared a look.

"Tina, Amyra, grab some glitter. James, all the scissors. Kayden, find us some huge cardboard. The rest, look for as many color pens as you can find," Paige said suddenly into business.

The class dissolved with frenzy.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Lily ducked and the sword slashed where her head had been seconds before. She twirled and hit the man on his stomach. He doubled over to catch his breath, leaving his neck exposed. Lily's sword cut through it.

A man screamed in pain, some others in fear. Lily closed her eyes and tried to rein her heart which beat out of control. Her limbs trembled from the exertion and she had the strange urge to cry.

Running steps put her out of her thoughts and she readied herself for the running man. He was no match for her, with over two hundred years of experience under her belt.

None of them were.

The back of her throat burned and she clenched her teeth. "You're not going to throw up," she told herself.

"Ty!" Charming, his armor glinting with blood under the cloudy sky. "Are you alright? I told you to stay out of the battle!"

Lily scowled. "I can defend myself."

Charming looked around and saw the bodies of the fallen soldiers around the young girl. His eyes widened as did the ones of the two soldiers next to him. Lily lowered her sword and the blood trickled down the blade and pooled in the ground.

Charming saw an emptiness in her eyes, characteristic of old soldiers, and his heart broke a little for her. With slow, measured steps he went to her side and smiled.

"We've won," he told her softly. "The battle is over now."

Lily smiled back. "And Regina?" she asked.

"Now we will go set the trap. Do you want to come?"

Lily shook her head. "I will go clean up," she stared at the blood on her hands. "If you don't mind."

Charming put a hand on her shoulder. "Of course not. Go, sleep a little."

"Whatever you say, _Your Highness_."

He glared at her.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Tayler fiddled with her paper folder and bounced her leg. Henry, sitting beside her put a hand on her knee to stop the nervous shaking.

"Don't worry so much," he told her. "She _will_ like it."

Tayler bit her lip and started fidgeting in her seat. "Maybe I should have gone to the shop with you," she looked at Mr. Gold, who was all by himself under the stairs. "I just don't like him. He's always glaring at me like I did something really bad."

Henry's eyes twinkled. "You did cover his shop in toilet paper last Halloween," he reminded her.

Tayler scowled. "I did it with the whole street!" she shook her head. "I think there's something else. Besides he said something about how I am just like my mother…"

"Maybe he was in love with her or something," Henry said. "But she chose your Dad over him. Maybe he's bitter about that."

Both snorted at the idea. "Nah, I don't think Mr. Gold is capable of loving anyone. Besides, he would hate my Dad then, but he doesn't mind him at all."

"Maybe he and your mom hated each other years ago and now he hates _you_. Just like Snape."

Tayler's mouth twitched. "Does that mean he's in love with my Dad?"

They both burst into giggles.

Suddenly Tayler stood up. "I have to pee," she informed him and disappeared within seconds.

When she came back, Henry was amicably chatting with the strange man who had appeared in Storybrooke some time ago, so she went to talk with Archie and Granny. The old woman was explaining the story of how Ruby tried to sneak into her room very drunk last night and she ended up in Granny's when Henry stood up with his wrapped gift and the card they'd made in class.

"Ty!" he called and the girl ran to him.

"Are we doing it now?" she asked in a low voice.

Henry nodded and handed her the folder she'd left at the table. When they turned around Miss Blanchard and Emma were already there.

"Hey," Henry grinned at the woman. "We have something for you. Tayler's first."

Tayler glared at him but gave the teacher her present. It was a series of drawings featuring the teacher. In most of them she was with some other students, but in a couple she was alone (staring off the distance and smiling softly at a book) or with Emma. And then there was the last one, the only one colored, which depicted the woman dressed like a medieval bandit.

"That's Snow White," Henry explained the teacher.

"Wow," Emma gaped at the drawing. "These are fuc-," she stopped mid-curse catching Miss Blanchard's glare. "Really good," she amended. "Like professionally good. Did you make them?"

Tayler scratched her ear and smiled embarrassed. "I like drawing."

Miss Blanchard's eyes were teary and Herny decided to act before she could get very emotional. "Also, here," he handed her the bright red cardboard they'd made in class.

"Thank you," she opened. "We're so glad you didn't kill Mrs. Nolan," she read out loud.

The adults laughed. "It's from the whole class," Tayler explained.

Henry smiled charmingly. "And I got you a bell," he shook the box.

Miss Blanchard stared at them with warm fondness in her eyes. They were her two favorite students after all.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Snow eyes were teary as she clutched her coat tighter around herself. "Do you really have to go?"

Lily smiled. "I have to find my father and my sister," her face fell. "I promised myself I would find them as soon as possible."

"But maybe you could wait a couple of weeks…"

Charming stood next to his fiancée. "George has been defeated and Regina is now powerless, Tiger Lily has no reason to stay here anymore."

"You won't need my amazing strategy skills anymore."

"But…" Snow's face fell.

"I'll be back for the wedding," Lily promised with a grin. "I _am_ the flower girl after all," she added.

Charming ruffled her hair. "You can also be back sooner. The wedding still needs months to be ready, he haven't even sent the invitations yet."

"You _should_ be back sooner," Snow told her. "At least a couple of weeks. You are part of the ceremony."

"I will," she promised.

"We could always sent you with an invitation to the Northern Kingdom," Snow teased. "I believe the Princess has taken a shine to you."

Lily groaned. "Gods above! She was so annoying! She was always following me around. Go with your own friends and leave me alone for a bit!"

The couple sniggered.

"Are you sure you don't want to wait at least until Red gets back? She could join you in part of the journey," Snow suggested hopefully.

Lily turned serious. "Don't worry, I swear nothing will happen to me, alright? I'll be back with my sister and my father and you'll hear thousands of embarrassing stories about my childhood."

Snow smiled softly. "I can't wait."

Charming also smiled at the young girl and handed her a pouch full of golden coins. He searched in his pockets and gave her a golden brooch to fasten her cloak with. It had the royal coat of arms engraved.

"So that way you can show anyone you have powerful friends if it's needed. And maybe you'll be left alone," Charming said.

Lily took the brooch, suddenly emotional, and closed her fist over it. "Well," she tried to joke. "I just hope this time I don't get kidnapped by a band of men trying to sell me into prostitution."

Charming and Snow blinked. " _What_?"

"Oh, didn't I tell you this part?"

 **.**

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 **We're getting closer to the breaking of the curse. Dun, dun, duuun. And Henry has amazing deduction skills as it seems.**

 **How did you like the chapter?**

 **MW.**


	13. Crashing down

**I hope you're happy. This is a looong chapter. No Killy though, forgive me?**

 **Enjoy it!**

 **Disclaimer: Nope.**

 **Crashing down.**

Tayler glared at the book in the table. Beside her, Heidi laughed and then looked back at her calculator.

"I don't get why I have to study all of this," she pouted.

Heidi snorted. "Wait until you go to high school then. You'll cry."

Tayler frowned at her but then sighed. "Do you think we can make a pizza or something? I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry," she muttered.

Tayler nudged her. "Come on! Don't say you don't want some!"

Heidi bit her lip. "Okay, maybe a little," she smiled. "I'll turn on the oven you go ask Dad."

Tayler jumped from her seat. "Brilliant."

"And once the pizza is done you _have_ to get back to studying," Heidi called after her. "You haven't studied at all and the exam is on Monday."

Tayler huffed. "It's Thursday! And besides, I still can't believe I have to do an exam on my birthday," she pouted and rushed out of the room.

The cold air of March hit her when she jumped into the street. It was already dark out and the only lights came from the woodshop and the rest of the houses. Her father was still working and she knew he wouldn't go to sleep until it was really late.

"-your mistake and your tried to fix it," her father was saying to a man; it was the mysterious (and handsome) Storybrooke newcomer. "That's important."

"Daaaad!" she screamed as she ran towards him. "Hi!" she grinned at the man.

Marco stared at her with amusement while the stranger's eyes were filled with shock and hurt. "Tayler," he nodded at her. "I thought you were studying."

She made a face. "I am, well, was. I just thought we could have some pizza now."

"It's after ten. You should be going to bed," he told her.

Tayler sputtered. "But Dad! I'm almost eleven!"

He chuckled. "Alright, tell your sister to turn the oven on," Tayler smiled sheepishly. "She already has, no?"

"Maybe?"

He smiled fondly at her and put one hand on her shoulder. "If any of my girls did that," he told the man. ", it would be enough for me."

"Did what?" Tayler wondered.

Marco turned to work and Tayler bounced to his side. "That's not important," he said. "Come on, I have to fix this for tomorrow morning."

"You look like you might be shorthanded," the stranger commented nonchalantly.

"I get by," he said. "Sometimes they try to help but Heidi is awful and Tayler here doesn't really have the patience for it."

Tayler grinned at the stranger, not really sorry. His gaze went to the pavement and he seemed to be battling with himself.

"How would you feel about…" he doubted. ", taking on an assistant?"

Marco raised his head and he too looked at the man. He straightened with a soft smile. "I can't pay you."

"That's okay," the man said nodding his head. "I just feel like fixing things."

Her father must have seen the same anguish Tayler saw in the man's eyes because he extended one hand towards him. "Come in," he said.

Tayler smiled at the stranger. "Would you like some pizza?" she asked.

The man stared at her in silence for some seconds. "Pizza it's alright," he said in the end.

Tayler grinned. "Brilliant! What's your name? I've been wondering for a long time."

"I'm August," he said. "August Wayne Booth."

Tayler's eyebrows rose at the use of his middle name but she grinned at him nonetheless. "Tayler Elizabeth Carpenter."

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

The rain poured down hard. It made it difficult to see through the falling water and the closing darkness. The castle stood there only visible thanks to the fires lit inside.

Lightning struck and two shadows became visible for a few seconds. The guard rang the bell.

The doors opened and a burly young man stood in front of the small figures. His arms were crossed in a defiant stance and his sword glinted with the brightness of the castle.

"Who's there?" he asked.

The smallest shadows lifted the hood and her dark brown locks intertwined with colorful feathers fell free. The guard gasped, recognizing her muddied face and stepped aside.

"Tiger Lily!" he exclaimed. "The King and Queen will be very happy to see you are finally back. I'll send word while I show you your bedchamber."

Lily smiled slightly. "That would be fantastic," she told him. "We've been walking for a very long time."

The other girl also uncovered her face and shook her already wet honey blonde hair. The guard stared at her for a couple of seconds, flushing, and quickly walked them inside the castle.

.

.

Lily was brushing her hair, happy and warm for the first time in weeks, when her door burst open.

"Wha-?"

Snow was on the other side, her eyes alight with fury. Lily gulped and took a step back, scared. The woman was wearing a night gown but that didn't diminish her threatening aura.

"« _I will_ » you said. « _Don't worry_ » you told me," the woman started calmly from the door.

Lily tried grinning at her. "Snow! How nice of you to dr-"

"Don't «Snow» me!" the woman hissed narrowing her eyes. "You should have been back _weeks_ ago, Tiger Lily."

"I am sorry."

Snow glared at her. " _You're sorry_? The wedding is tomorrow!" she started to pace. "The wedding is tomorrow and you don't have a dress, you still have to fix your hair, you don't know the ceremony and _what the hell happened to your face_?" she interrupted her seething litany to stare at her face wide-eyed.

Lily winced. Her bath had left uncovered the purple bruise that spread all through her cheekbone. "We had an argument with some thieves on our way here. Wendy sprained her ankle, too, so if you could send Doc to her room to check on her…" her gaze fell. "We would have gotten on time if it wasn't for them," she assured.

Snow's fury fell and she walked closer to the little girl. "Oh, Ty," she sighed and enveloped her in a hug.

"I'm sorry for ruining your wedding," she sniffed.

Snow held her tighter. "You haven't," she told her. "We'll figure something out," she stepped back and grinned at her. "But I am angry with you. I had been planning a three-hour long speech for _days_!"

Lily snorted. "Well, you did have an impressive entrance," she congratulated her.

"You really think so?"

Lily nodded. "You gave me chills, really."

"I've been practicing," Snow confessed.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"Hey, Honeybunch," she grinned at the young boy. "How nice of you to finally deign us with your presence."

Henry remained silent, staring hard at the Math's textbook in front of him. But Tayler was relentless.

"Did you fall asleep? You got lost on your way here?" she nudged him. "Come on! It was because you didn't do your English homework? Miss Blanchard didn't even ask for them," she turned thoughtful. "But she seemed kind of upset. I wonder what happened."

"Emma tried to kidnap me last night," Henry confessed with a whisper.

" _What_?" Finn, who was supposedly looking at Mr. Farley, the Math teacher, turned to look at them with wide eyes. Even Paige also tilted her head towards them so she could listen to the conversation.

"She wanted us to get away from here, from my mom," his face fell. "She doesn't believe in the curse. She doesn't want to _see_. And now August is also giving up."

"August came yesterday by my house," Tayler pipped in. "He's now an assistant of my father. For free. It was weird," she wrinkled her nose. "But we had pizza and he told us this wicked stories about the places he'd been and stuff. He's cool."

Henry looked down. "He said he wanted to spend his last days with his father."

Finn's eyebrows shot up. "His father? Marco?" he and Tayler exchanged a look.

"Gepetto," Henry specified. "But, yeah, Marco," he turned to look at Tayler. "He's Pinocchio and he's turning back into wood."

Tayler and Finn looked at each other in silence. Paige pursed her lips and her grip on the pen tightened. She didn't believe in Henry's theory and each time he spoke of it, it pushed the wrong buttons.

Finn and Tayler were more open. They thought it was cool, but they didn't really think it was real. It was mad, after all, and they knew how the real word worked. Tayler knew how important the curse was to Henry, though, and she always tried to not break his delusions.

"Well, that would explain why Marco has always been good at his job," Finn joked trying to lighten the mood.

Tayler caught on. "But I thought it was because of our surname!" she protested.

"Heidi shares your surname and she doesn't know how to grab the knife," Finn said.

Tayler snorted. "Well, at that you might be right."

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"Did you find anything?" Charming asked her when she dropped on the chair.

Lily shook her head. "There was no sign of my father, like always," she said bitterly.

"And also we didn't hear anything about the Evil Queen's plans," Wendy added. "How were things around here? How was Prince Thomas and Cinderella's wedding?"

Snow smiled. "Oh, it was beautiful!" a mischievous glint took over her eyes. "Ours was better, of course."

Both girls snorted, remembering the stressful day. In the end everything had gone perfectly, even with the Evil Queen's sudden visit, but some of the servants had even cried from the pressure. And maybe a little from the fear Snow inspired that day.

"And we have some good news," Snow added reaching over to grasp Charming's hand.

Lily leaned in, interested. "What is it?"

Snow grinned. "We are going to have a baby!" But there was something dark in her eyes, almost like regret, that covered up the happiness.

"Really?" Lily decided to ignore the anguish in the royals' eyes. "That is amazing!"

Wendy also smiled. "How far along are you?" she wondered.

"Over five months," she said. "We discovered it just after you left."

Lily's eyes widened. "Oh! That explains…" she gestured to the Queen's belly. "I thought you had eaten a lot lately."

Wendy's mouth twitched. "She kind of looks like she'd swallowed a balloon. A small one, though," she looked up at the pregnant lady. "You're glowing. Congratulations."

Both adult's smiles were somewhat forced. Wendy and Lily shared a quick look and Lily shook her head almost imperceptibly. Wendy got the message and dropped the topic.

"So… Ty and I will stay here for a few more months," Wendy said. "If it no bother," she added quickly.

Snow scoffed. "Of course is no bother! You are welcome here for as long as you'd like," suddenly her eyes filled with tears. "Unless you _don't_ want to stay here and only do it because you think it's polite and you'd rather be out there," she sniffed.

Lily and Wendy stared at the crying woman with wide eyes. The little girl looked at Charming for help and he enveloped his wife in a hug, sending them a calming smile.

"It's the hormones," he explained. "They drive her crazy."

Snow broke from the hug and wiped at her tears. "I hate being pregnant," she stated. "No, wait!" she caressed her stomach softly. "I don't! I love our child! I didn't mean that!"

Charming sighed and rubbed his face. "Are you sure you want to stay here for the next months?" he asked jokingly.

Snow hit him in the chest with a scowl. Seconds later she started to babble an apology, scared that she'd hurt him.

"This is going to be fun," Lily stated dryly to her sister.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Henry flapped his arms like a bird making Finn and Tayler giggle.

"Whoa!" he tilted forwards and Finn rushed over to catch him before he could fall face-first to the ground.

Tayler watched them from the bench, the whole park splaying out behind them. "Maybe we should have gotten you that helmet," she conceded.

Henry made a face but stabilized himself over the skateboard nonetheless. "These things are dangerous," he stated.

"So you've said," Finn smirked. "But you were the one that wanted to try."

Finn grabbed Henry's arms and dragged him for a few steps before letting go. Henry rolled a couple more seconds and then came to a stop.

"The trick is to push or it won't move!" Tayler called.

Henry glared at her. "I know that! I just don't think this thing is safe enough for me to get out one foot."

"Hey! I built that thing!"

Henry grinned cheekily. "That's the point!"

Something cracked in Henry's bag. Seeing that the two boys were too far to hear it, Tayler rummaged through Henry's bag. Her fingers caressed the cover of Henry's book and she shivered; she had returned it to the boy a couple of weeks ago because she was starting to believe it was the culprit of her sleepless nights.

Her hand closed over the radio and she got it out. "Code red, code red," Emma Swan was saying. "Can you hear me?"

"Hi, Captain Swan," Tayler grinned at the walkie. "Right now Henry is trying to learn how to ride a skateboard. It is important? Over."

There was a short silence. "Yeah, it is. I need to talk to him, Tayler, please. Now."

Tayler would have teased her about no saying «over» at the end but there was a urgent tone in her voice that made her hold her tongue. "Okay, Cap, I'm on it."

The girl jumped to her feet and ran towards the two arguing boys.

"Hey, Ty, why don't you try to make him see he won't break anything if he gi- Why that face?" Finn frowned worriedly at her.

Tayler handed the radio to Henry. "It's Emma. She wants to talk to you. It sounded important," she added.

Henry's grin faded and he stepped out the skateboard, grabbing the walkie. Finn and Tayler shared a worried look as he walked away to have some privacy.

"What do you think it's going on?" Finn wondered.

Tayler mused. "Maybe it has something to do with the failed kidnapping? I just hope she's okay. Both of them."

Finn looked down at Tayler's watch. "Shoot! I have to go! My mom is so going to kill me for being late! I had to help Jack and Bill to paint the house."

Tayler made a face. "You better go, then. Good luck."

Finn nodded and his gaze travelled to Henry, still talking with his birthmother. "Keep an eye on him, okay? Stop him from doing anything stupid."

Tayler nodded. "Okay."

She watched him go with a pensive look on her face. Henry went to stand next to her, a small frown over his eyes.

"I have to go talk to Emma," he said. "She said she wants to tell me something."

Tayler looked at him. "Do you want to keep hanging out afterwards?" she asked. "I'm sure I can be a better teacher than Finn."

Henry smiled. "Okay. Maybe we can even get Emma to join us," his eyes light up.

They went to their bags and Henry climbed onto his bike. Tayler, standing over her own skateboard, grabbed his seat and smiled sweetly at him.

"You don't mind giving me a ride, do you?"

Henry huffed at her but started to pedal anyway.

"We can always try this later," she told him. "I bet that way you'll finally go faster than two miles per hour."

Henry frowned and sped up making Tayler laugh loudly behind him.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"The Evil Queen has created a powerful curse. Rumplestiltskin says will be trapped in a horrible land, frozen in time and suffering for all eternity. All our happy endings will be ripped away," Charming explained.

Around the table, mouths opened and some scared gasps filled the hall. King James stood on over the table, with Snow sitting by his right and Lily at his left. Ruby sat next to Lily but at the king's words she rushed over to her grandmother. Three of the dwarves were next to Snow and then there was Granny. The officers of King James and Queen Snow White army were between Lily and Granny with Geppetto sitting happily among them.

Oh! And Jiminy Cricket was in front of Lily, with a magnifying glass over him so everyone could see him.

"So everything is lost, then?" Red wondered.

Charming shook his head. "There is one way we can be safe. Our daughter. In twenty-eight years she will be the Savior and break the Evil Queen's curse."

"But… if the time is frozen how will the child ever get to be twenty-eight?" Lily wondered with a frown.

King James sat back down. "We have to get her to safety. The curse _can't_ touch her. We _must_ protect her or we all will be lost."

Red leaned over her grandmother's shoulder. "But how will we protect her? A curse is a curse, there's no stopping it."

Lily mused. "Maybe we can outrun it. It _can't_ cover the whole word; the Queen is not that powerful. Maybe we can send you two to another kingdom, out of reach."

Giles, one of the generals, shook his head. "There isn't enough time. I don't know how long it takes for curses to be cast, but it isn't long enough for them to escape."

Marcus, a young but promising colonel, tapped his chin. "Maybe we can stop the Queen before she casts the curse. We already know where she is and she's defenseless. All she has is some few men."

Charming stood up and slammed his fist on the table. "I say we fight!"

"Fighting is a bad idea," Jiminy said. "Giving in to one's dark side never accomplishes anything."

Lily made a face at the cricket's words and clenched her fists. She had seen firsthand what happened when someone gave into his dark side, she, herself, had done it and was still fighting it.

"And how many wars has a clear conscience won? We need to take the Queen out before she can inflict her curse," the king said.

"And it's not like the Evil Queen has had any problems giving in to her dark side," Lily muttered to herself.

Charming snorted and shared an amused look with her. Lily winked at him.

Doc was the one to voice the main concern. "Can we even trust Rumplestiltskin?"

Lily's blood burned at the name of the sorcerer and her eyes darkened. When she'd heard about the Dark One she had started a mad search for his dagger. She had even ransacked his castle once Snow and Charming had imprisoned him.

Wendy didn't understand why they'd suddenly stopped the search for Lily's father and started looking for a mysterious weapon.

"-into the forest," Charming was saying. "The animals are abuzz with the Queen's plan," he leaned over the table. "This is going to happen unless we _do_ something."

Lily scowled. "And _what_ can we do? Seeing that finishing the Queen is 'giving into one's dark side' and it's not alright."

Charming's eyes flashed. "We fight! We aren't going to give up. Not like this."

"There's no point," Snow said laconically. "The future is written."

He shook his head. "No. I refuse to believe that," he looked at all of them. "Good can't just loose!"

"Maybe it can," Snow said turning her head away from the meeting.

But Charming wasn't going to let her give up that easily. "No," he crouched at her side. "Not as long as we have each other. If you believe him about the curse then you must believe him about our child," he spoke passionately. "She _will be_ the savior."

The door banged open, making everybody turn away from their rulers. The Blue Fairy flew in front of a tree stump dragged by four soldiers.

Lily blinked, confused. The rest of her companions were also at a loss.

"What the hell is this?" Charming asked standing up.

The Blue Fairy was small and her voice had a strange twinkling quality. Lily preferred Tinkerbell a thousand times over her, but she wasn't going to tell the queen of all fairies that.

"Our only hope of saving that child," the Blue Fairy explained.

Grumpy wasn't happy. "A tree? Our fate rests on a _tree_?" his skepticism was comprehensible. "Let's get back to the fighting thing," he asked.

Lily couldn't help but agree with him.

Magic brought nothing but pain.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Tayler fidgeted on the hall while Henry knocked on the door. Not even two seconds later it was opened by a stone-faced blonde.

"Hey, Cap," Tayler grinned at her. "Sorry to intrude but I _really_ need to use the bathroom," she announced before scurrying under Emma's arm and running across the room.

Emma blinked, surprised, and looked down at her son. "Okay?" she shared a smile with Henry.

"Hey, Emma. Everything okay?" Henry stepped out into the room and got rid of his backpack.

Tayler was quick but she spent a few more moments inside the small bathroom, wanting to give the little family some privacy. She thoroughly washed her hands and read the back of some of the hair products.

In the end she decided to just wait Henry outside. Maybe with a few stolen cookies.

"-to stop thinking like this," Emma was saying.

Mother and son were both standing next to the kitchen, close to each other. Tayler could see Emma's face and it looked like she'd been crying.

Tayler started to back away slowly. She really didn't want to intrude.

"But it's the truth!" Henry said. "And you leaving isn't gonna change that!"

"I'll prove it to you," Emma said.

And then they both reached over for… a pastry? Tayler blinked. _What?_

"Henry! What are you doing?"

Tayler was wondering the same thing. She caught Emma's eyes across the room but the Sherriff shook her head at the question in the girl's eyes.

"I'm sorry it had to come to this," Henry said clutching tightly at the turnover. "You may not believe in the curse. Or in me," he said brokenly. "But I believe in you!" and he took a small bite.

Emma sighed while Henry chewed. "See? You wanna have some ice cream with that? Tayler can join us. Then we ca-"

But she couldn't end her sentence because Henry fell to the floor. Tayler's eyes widened and a cry left her lips.

"Henry? Henry? Henry?!"

Tayler fell to her knees next to the boy but she didn't know what to do. Emma was at her side in the blink of an eye, checking for Henry's vitals.

"He's not breathing," she announced with tears in her voice.

Tayler meet her wide, scared eyes. "What?" she asked with a tiny voice.

"He's not breathing!" she repeated loudy. "He's not…" her breaths were harsh. "Call the hospital," her voice had turned cold. "Tell them we're coming and what happened."

Tayler's throat had become a knot but she nodded and jumped to her feet. She only wanted for Henry to be alright.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

The loud ringing of the bell broke Lily's concentration and the knife flew way out of the mark. She, Ruby and Wendy shared a worried look. They all knew what the bell meant.

"The curse," Wendy whispered. "It's here."

Nicholas, one of the youngest soldiers, broke into the patio where they were practicing. "The Queen is here," he gasped. "And her men."

Lily's eyes widened and she unsheathed her sword. "We need to protect Snow. Get her to the wardrobe," her eyes went to her sister and the werewolf. "Red, take Wendy to our room, get as many people as you can there. Protect them."

Red nodded and started tugging Wendy's arm. But the young girl was reluctant.

"No! Wait! Ty, what about you?"

Lily clenched her teeth. "I'll stand ward on the corridor to the nursery and Snow and Charming's chambers. I _won't_ let the Queen pass."

.

.

As much as Lily fought some men escaped her; they were too many against Lily. And when the Evil Queen herself strutted through the hall and made her fly against a wall there wasn't anything she could do.

Lily lay on the floor, surrounded by dead bodies and trying to stand up, when the ceiling caved above her. A purple storm cloud filled the corridor, but Lily knew what it was.

The next she remembered was being Tayler Carpenter from Storybrooke. And for the following twenty-eight years she was.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **The curse has been cast, Henry is under a sleeping curse… everything is starting to come together.**

 **Don't worry, you will get some Captain Lily next chapter.**

 **Katymint: I imagine Lily looking so cute in a nice dress, and scowling because she doesn't like dresses, throwing flowers around… We're almost there, next chapter, I promise. Thanks!**

 **Ollie: Yeaaaah, we're very close now. I've been very careful with Finn, I don't think I've given any clues (maybe a couple of hidden ones). No, he's not Jim (but Jim has appeared, too). Well, Tiger Lily went with Snow and Charming in their quest to defeat the Evil Queen, there were some battles, some strategy meetings, they bonded a lot and stuff. The show doesn't really say much about how Snowing took back the kingdom.**

 **I hope you liked it!**

 **Enjoy.**


	14. Stars are falling

**Sooooorry for the delay. But you know… uni.**

 **Killy is back in this chapter… but you won't be happy about it. Although the curse** _ **does**_ **break.**

 **Can somebody explain me what is all that No Curse AU it has everyone freaking out? I'm very lost at the moment.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT.**

 **Stars are falling.**

Lily danced through the jungle humming to herself. She twirled around and ducked under a branch. With a happy laugh she ran to the threes.

"And she's running off again," Killian huffed looking at his nephew.

Jim grinned. "Can you blame her? I want to do the same thing."

Killian snorted and looked out for his daughter, but she had already disappeared through the thick mass of trees.

Lily stopped dead. In front of her Pan smirked with his arms crossed. "Never mind me, go on. It seems our deal has made you awfully happy."

Lily glared at him. "What can I say? Your island it's not a nice place."

"Oh, but don't you like the sun? The tropical breeze? The beach?"

Lily crossed her arms. "What do you want?" she asked him shortly.

Pan smirked. "No need to be so rude. I just need you to relay my message to the Captain," and he snapped his fingers.

.

.

"You are awfully happy," her father noted with a smile once she came back.

Lily grinned at him. "We are finally leaving this island. Do you think we can spend some time in the north? I've missed the cold. Do you know how long it's been since I've seen snow?"

"Over two hundred years?" he guessed with a smile.

"Over two hundred years!" she made a face. "Jimmy still owes me a rematch for that snowball fight."

Jim, hearing his name, turned towards them. "It's not my fault you are awful at throwing snowballs."

Lily gaped at him. "You cheated!"

Jim just sniggered at her indignation but didn't deny her accusation. Killian smiled at them but felt a pang on his chest; they reminded him of he and Liam when they were younger.

"Are you sure we can't take Tink with us?" Lily asked seriously turning to her father.

Killian shook his head. "No one leaves Neverland without Pan's permission, you know that, and he's only letting us leave because I refused to make any more trips and he needed the dust. He knows he can't use us anymore so he's letting us go. Tinkerbell, though, he still needs."

Lily made a face. "But it's not fair! She helped us!"

"I know," he sighed. "And she understands that. She is willing to stay here if that means you can go. Besides, she wants to protect your brother."

Lily opened her mouth to ask why they couldn't take Bae with them but knew the answer without having to ask. Her brother may have had an awful relationship with his father but he wasn't going to help them kill him.

A loud rumbling shook the ground and the three members of the little family shared worried looks. They had fallen behind the members of the crew that had gone with them on that last trip to the island.

"I hope that isn't what I think it is," Killian muttered.

They heard the crashing of some trees falling to the ground. Thunderous footsteps rushed towards them, closer each time. The three of them readied their weapons with equal determined expressions on their faces.

The beast jumped and landed in the middle of the path in front of them. With a swipe of its powerful tail it cleared the trees around them, giving it enough space to move.

It was made of the stuff of your worst nightmares, deformed and huge. If you looked into its red eyes you could see your worst fears reflected on the orbs. Its teeth and claws were bigger than Lily's torso and its breath could freeze a fully grown man on the spot.

"The Neverbeast," Lily breathed out.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Tayler jumped out of the ambulance and followed the stretcher guarded by a male nurse, Dr. Whale and Emma Swan. The woman was clearly distressed, shaking Henry lightly to wake him up and Tayler wished there was something she could do.

She watched with wide eyes how Dr. Whale argued with the Sheriff as he checked Henry's eyes and mouth and how another nurse applied a bag valve mask over Henry's mouth. Everything else around her just became an annoying blurred noise, the words indistinguishable.

"Tayler!" Emma called, but it sounded like she had been trying a couple of times.

Tayler blinked and tore her gaze apart from Henry to look at the distressed woman.

"Do you have Henry's backpack?" she asked, her voice cracking a little.

Tayler slipped off the bag she'd grabbed at the last minute and Emma snatched it from her. "What's going on?" Tayler asked. "Why is he…?" she gulped. "Was it poison."

"There is no symptom on his body that would suggest poison," Dr. Whale explained. "We need to find an explanation. Right now it's like…"

"Like magic," Emma whispered looking at Henry's book.

Tayler looked worried at the woman. "But magic isn't real."

Emma didn't answer; she just looked at the book in her hands with shock and taking deep breaths.

Tayler heard the Mayor come in. "Where's my son?" she called distressed and walked to stand over Henry, next to Tayler.

"They are trying to stabilize him," she whispered. Tayler could see the pain and worry in Regina's eyes as she took in the small figure of her son, who needed a nurse pumping air in his lungs to keep breathing.

Suddenly Emma grabbed the Mayor's arm, a furious scowl on her face, and dragged her out of the room and into a closet full of cleaning supplies. Tayler just stood there, next to Henry, blinking in confusion.

"What?"

Dr. Whale snorted beside her, looking for Henry's pulse. "I just hope they aren't going to angrily make out on the closet. Now it's not the time."

Tayler's eyes widened. " _What_?"

"It was just a joke," he explained. "Now I need you to leave the room for a few minutes while the nurses put him in a robe and plug him in."

Tayler knew better than to ask about the plugging thing. "I'll go call my dad," she muttered. "And Paige, too. She will probably want to be here."

She rushed off the room and into the reception. Then she had to beg at the nurse behind the desk to let her use the phone. She even had to use the puppy eyes, her last resort.

But no one could resist the puppy eyes; they were infallible.

"Hey, Dad," she said into the phone, sitting on the nurse's chair.

"Tayler, why are you calling from the hospital? You almost gave me a heart-attack. Are you okay? Is Heidi alright?"

"I'm fine and Heidi is at her piano lessons, or at least she should be. I'm here… I'm actually here for Henry."

Marco paused for a couple of seconds. "Henry? What happened to him?"

Tayler sniffed. "I don't know. He went to talk to Emma and then ate a turnover and he passed out. The doctors are putting a lot of wires and stuff and he wasn't _breathing_ and… I'm scared, Dad."

"Tayler, breathe," Marco told her seriously. "Henry is at the hospital now, he's going to be fine, okay? Dr. Whale will take care of him."

Tayler gulped but decided against telling him of the uncertainty in Dr. Whale's voice. "Okay."

"Do you want me to come?" Marco asked.

Tayler shook her head and then remembered he couldn't see her. "No, it's okay. I'm just going to stay here until he wakes up or something, is that alright?"

"Oh, of course, Ty. It's Friday after all, you can stay as long as you need to," he paused for some seconds. "I'll come to pick you up late tonight, so you can stay as long as possible."

Tayler sighed. "Thanks, Dad," she smiled softly. "I have to go now; the nurse is giving me the bad eye. Bye… Love you too," and she hung up.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

The Neverbeast… some of the members of the Jolly Roger had had the misfortune of encountering that dark beast. None of them had survived.

Lily gulped and her grip on her sword tightened. Beside her, her father and her cousin did the same.

"Captain!" the ten members of the Jolly's Crew, the best of what was left (except for Smee, who was on the Jolly looking after the ship), stood behind the Neverbeast, with panic in their faces and their swords held high.

Jim looked at his uncle. "What do we do?" he asked seriously.

Killian focused. "Alright!" he shouted loud enough for everyone to hear him. "Spread around. Circle it. Don't leave anyone alone."

They obeyed and Lily stood between her father and Bill Jukes, one of the best swordsman in the crew. She knew it was his way of protecting her, even if she didn't need it.

The Neverbeast clawed the earth, and its eyes travelled around the circle surrounding him. A grow started low on its throat and Lily felt goosebumps erupting all over her body. The hair on her nape stood on end and her palms started to sweat.

Jim whimpered, terrified, but stood his ground. He notched one arrow and, holding his breath, let it go.

It bounced off the beast thick fur, and it turned to glare at Jim, unharmed. The Neverbeast growled again and jumped towards the young boy.

Killian and the Italian Cecco fought him off the frightened child, who had frozen on the spot. Alf Mason and Morgan Skylights attacked the beasts behind, taking advantage of its distraction.

The Neverbeast turned, roaring, and in a fluid motion snatched Mason and gobbled him up. Blood splattered everywhere and the crew shouted in anguish.

Thomas Mullins screamed in defiance and ran towards the beast, his sword held high. He managed to cut its front leg before it cut him in half.

"Alright!" Killian screamed. "We need to think this through. No more rushing head-first."

Bill was the one to come up with a strategy. He divided them in three groups, one of three and the other two of four. Lily was with Jamie Parker, William Cookson and Bill. Jim fought with Cecco, Pierre Cotton and Bob Harvey while Killian was on the smallest group with Morgan Skylights and Noddler.

The plan was easy. They were supposed to hide in the woods, then one group would lure the beast to them. The second group would attack the unprotected back while the first group retreated to safety. And then the third group would attack the distracted beast, giving the second group the chance to escape. Finally the first group would go back to attacking, repeating the process.

The first few times everything went as planned. And then things started to go south.

The Neverbeast quickly caught on their scheme and when Lily's group was supposed to attack it and give Jim's team the chance to escape, the Neverbeast was already waiting for them.

"Lily!" Jim screamed.

The beast stepped on William, killing him instantly. Jamie dragged Lily out the reach from the beast and Bill tried to cover them. Killian jumped over to help him, but it was already too late for Bill.

Noodler, whose hands were fixed on backwards, rushed to his Captain's side, and the rest of the crew followed suit, presenting a united front.

"Jamie," Killian spat through clenched teeth his eyes never leaving the Neverbeast. "Get Lily and Jim out of here."

Lily scoffed. "I can take care of myself, Papa, I am not a defenseless child!"

"Neither were them!" he hissed gesturing to what was left of the deceased pirates. "I can't risk it."

Jamie started to tug on Lily's arm, but Jim also refused to move. "Come on," he begged half-heartedly.

Jim saw Killian's warning look and started to walk backwards towards Lily and Jamie. Pierre attacked the Neverbeast to distract it from the young boy, but it happened to be his downfall.

Jim took Lily's hand and squeezed it when Noodler also fell. Jamie put a hand on their shoulders and started guiding them to safety.

"Watch out!" Lily heard Bob scream.

She turned her head. The Neverbeast was running straight towards her father, mouth open in a snarl and eyes narrowed with bloodlust. And Killian… he was kneeling next to Noodler, who was drawing his last breaths.

Lily lunged.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Tayler stared at her cards. Should she…?

"Ha! Draw four!" she put the card over the rest, carefully of not pressing too hard seeing that their "table" was Henry's stomach.

Paige smirked and showed Tayler another Draw Four. The girl groaned.

"Why do you always do this?"

Paige sniggered. "You just have bad luck. And always use the draws too soon. You have to keep some as a reserve."

Tayler made a face and then drew eight cards from the deck precariously stacked on Henry's collarbone. "Which colour?" she asked begrudgingly.

"Red." Paige exclaimed cheerfully.

Tayler organized her cards and managed to get off five of them, ending in a blue five. She grinned at Paige.

"Nice red," the blonde girl commented before promptly throwing a yellow five, followed by a green one. "UNO," she said and then laid down her last card, a red five. "Do you want to play again?"

Tayler glared at her. "It's the fifth time in a row," she moaned. "I think we can play something else. Something you're not so good at."

Paige whipped her hair. "Good luck with that. I'm good at everything."

They both laughed. Their smiles faded, though, once they looked once again at the sleeping boy.

"Do you think he's going to wake up?" Paige whispered.

Paige had arrived not long after Tayler had called her. In her bag there was a deck of UNO cards, some pen and papers, two bottles of water and some sandwiches.

They had tried to cheer the place up with their laughs and jokes. Using some of the papers they (well, Paige) had made Henry a crown while Tayler drew a moustache and goatee with a bright pink highlighter.

Then they had taken a picture with the two of them grinning at the camera next to the sleeping, crowned and moustached Henry.

"He's strong. He'll be fine," Tayler assured. "He has to," her voice fell.

"What happened exactly?"

Tayler groaned. "I've told you a thousand times," she sunk in her chair. "Henry and Emma were arguing and they fought over a turnover. Henry had it and said something about believing in Emma and then bit the turnover. Then he collapsed."

"And you say Dr. Whale is sure is not poison?"

She nodded. "But I don't know what else can it be," she looked at the door and then leaned in towards Paige. "Emma and Regina are searching for some kind of cure, I think. They said something about going to Gold's shop."

Paige mused. "Gold's shop has many things, but I doubt it has a magical cure. Especially if we don't know what's wrong with Henry."

"Maybe he'll wake up on his own," Tayler said hopefully.

"Maybe," but Paige didn't sound very convinced.

.

.

"No, Harry! Run! Don't go where the basilisk is! He's going to kill you!"

Paige glanced amused at the other girl, who was entranced in the movie they were watching on the tiny hospital TV. Even if Paige knew that Tayler had already watched the Harry Potter films more than once, she always acted like it was the first time.

"Oh, look, there is Tom. I hate that guy. HE'S VOLDEMORT, you stupid kid! STAB THE DIARY!"

Paige heard a muffled giggle and turned to look at the door. It was Emma Swan, who wore an amused smile hiding the distress on her eyes.

Tayler felt Paige's nudge and turned. She blushed when she saw Emma Swan at the door, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"I like Harry Potter," she excused herself.

Emma walked to stand next to her son and a surprised snort escaped her lips at the sight of her son with a paper crown and a pink moustache and goatee. She glanced at the two sheepish girls and shook her head fondly.

"We probably should go," Paige said. "I promised my mom I would be home no later than half past ten and it's already ten."

Tayler knew she also wanted to give Emma some privacy with her son. She stood up, ruffled Henry's hair, fixed his crown and grinned at Emma. "We can come back tomorrow morning, right? Maybe he'll have woken up by then."

Emma smiled softly at the two girls. "Of course. Good night, girls."

Paige and Tayler were almost out of the door when the man ran into them. The three of them stood in silence for a moment, watching at each other. Well, the man was mostly looking at Paige with a hopeful glint on his eyes.

"Whoops, sorry, sir," Tayler said. "Come on, P, or you'll be late and your mum _will_ kill you."

Paige groaned. "You're right. Last time I came five minutes late she grounded me for a whole week. And it was all your fault," she added.

They started walking again towards the door. "My fault?" Tayler gasped with mock surprise. "What do you mean?"

Paige pushed her and Tayler giggled, standing on her tiptoes to mess up with her hair. Then she started running before Paige could retaliate.

The man stood on the middle of the dark hospital corridor, watching them leave with a pained and angered expression on his face. He clenched his fists.

"Regina," he spat under his breath.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Her sword sunk on the Neverbeast neck, right on the jugular. Dark blood trickled along the sides of the blade, staining Lily's hands. The Neverbeast whipped his head, sending Lily flying through the meadow, but the harm was already done.

Its movements were sluggish, not as fast anymore. The remaining pirates were quick at finishing it off, attacking everywhere. Killian was the one to stab the creature's heart, a wicked smile spreading through his face when it stilled under him.

"It's dead!" he announced out loud.

The pirates cheered and Killian, with a big grin, looked for his daughter. He frowned at not seeing her in the middle of the clearing and looked under the trees.

He saw her slumped figure and rushed to her. Her breathing was fast and he frowned, the blow shouldn't have been lethal, she'd only crashed into a couple of trees. She'd had worse.

But then he took a good look at the plant she'd landed on. His blood ran cold, his stomach churning painfully, his head spinning.

 _Dreamshade_.

And for the looks of it she had landed on a lot of thorns.

"No, no!" he dragged her out of the plant. "Lily, come on!"

Her eyes were wide. "It hurts," she mumbled.

The veins on her cheek started to turn dark. There was too much poison on her blood, it was spreading too fast.

"No, Flower, hold on!" he gathered her in his arms. "Hold on. I'll get you to the stream, just… Please, hold on," he begged as he started to run through the trees.

Lily raised one hand, dark tendrils of poison already running to it, and brushed his cheek. His throat closed up and tears started gathering on his eyes. His knees faltered but he kept pushing on; he had to get her to the stream, he _had to_.

"Don't give up," he told her brokenly. "Stay with me, please," he felt one tear run down his cheek and she caught it with her fingers. "I can't lose you too."

Lily swallowed thickly, her breaths pained. "I-I'm sorry, Papa" she breathed out. "I love you," her eyes started to cloud with the pain.

"No, no, no," he shook her in his arms. "Don't say goodbye, Lily. Don't you dare. Hold on. We're almost there."

But they weren't and Lily knew that. She focused on the specks of sky she could see through the trees, her eyes searching for the stars. "So pretty…" she mumbled.

Lily's lips parted on a last sigh and her body stilled. Her eyes remained open, watching the stars but not really seeing them, unfocused and glassy.

Killian's legs gave up under him and he fell to his knees on the floor. "Please, Lily, please. Don't leave me," he shook her. "Come back to me, stay with me, please," his voice broke and heartrending sobs tore through his chest. "I love you, I need you. Please, wake up."

He rested his forehead against hers. His words dissolved into a broken string of pleas. His tears ran free and fell on her cheeks so it looked like she'd been crying too. He clutched her small, lifeless body closer to him and threw his head back.

His anguished scream reverberated all through the jungle. And then he broke down completely.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

The sun tinted the clouds orange and pink. The sea was also full of colors, still as it was, reflecting the sunrise.

Tayler sighed, calmly, and her fingers flew over the sketchbook. She was using Paige's colors, trying to freeze the landscape just as it was.

It was also helping her forget the nightmares that had plagued her that night. Not that she remembered them, but the uneasy feeling still remained. They were worse than usually, and Tayler was sure part of her worry for Henry had seeped through her dreams.

She had gone to the beach, still in her PJ's, at six o'clock and stayed in the cold, clutching her blanket tightly until the sun rose, filling the dark with brightness. She matched her breaths to the soft sound of the waves washing upon the sand and her heart returned to its normal beat.

Tayler was standing up, deciding that a quarter to eight was a good time to get back home. She could get dressed and go visit Henry at the hospital.

But then she felt a wave of something crash into her. Something that felt like love and light and sunshine.

" _You… Are you my sister?_ "

" _Don't say goodbye, Lily. Don't you dare._ "

" _He's gone, Tiger Lily. And he won't come back._ "

" _It's the Princess!_ "

" _Because I never loved you_ "

" _So that means that you are my cousin?_ "

" _I guess we'll just have to have faith in her._ "

And Lily remembered.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Lily groaned. Her head hurt like hell and her throat was raw.

She blinked, the light of a bonfire burning her eyes. "Wha-?" she sat up, her head swimming.

Pan smirked at her. "Well, hello there."

Lily frowned at him. "Where am I?" suddenly she remembered and her eyes widened. "Where's my father? How am I… how am I still alive?"

Pan waved her off. "Oh, you were never in any danger," he said. "Remember that little talk he had?"

Lily tried to remember. "You told me you needed me to relay a message to my father," she said.

"You were the message," he told her. "I made an illusion of you, a very difficult trick. Very powerful magic was needed."

Lily scowled. "Why? How was I the message? I don't understand."

Pan patted the spot next to him on the cliff he was sitting. Lily scoffed but sat next to him, her feet dangling over a hundred feet of air.

"Everybody thinks you're dead," he said.

Lily tilted her head. "But I'm not."

"But the point is… everybody thinks you are. Your father does. Take a look," he gestured to the ocean.

Lily narrowed her eyes. In the vast sea there was a speck of brown. It was the Jolly Roger, and it made a smile break her face. If she squinted her eyes, she could see her father at the helm.

And then the Jolly started to soar, lifting in the air. It glowed green; Lily guessed it was because of the fairy dust. She scowled.

"Hey! What's going on? Where are they going?"

Pan smirked. "The Enchanted Forest, I guess," he said. "It was the deal, wasn't it? I would give you some of the fairy dust and let you fly away from Neverland."

"They can't be leaving, not without me," she said. "My father wouldn't abandon me here."

"He does believe you are dead," Pan reminded her.

Lily shook her head. "He can't leave me!"

"He's gone, Tiger Lily. And he won't come back," Pan told her trying not very successfully to show his sadness. "All magic comes with a price," he said. "And your father's price to pay was you."

Lily's face fell, her head shaking slightly. "He's really gone?" but it was more like a statement.

"I'm sorry," he said.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **So… there is it. Now you know just like Lily does. Were you expecting something like this? Poor Killian.**

 **Katymint: She hasn't had had a very important role, but she's only a child and she doesn't remember, so she couldn't do much. Except draw on Henry like a good friend. It kind of makes it difficult to feel sad when Emma kisses Henry awake if he's wearing a paper crown and has a pink moustache and beard, don't you think?**

 **MW.**


	15. Adrift

**What did you think about the last chapter, huh? I was kind of disappointed on Princess! Emma, I have to admit, I expected someone more badass. Anyway, let's get to it.**

 **No Killy here, but close enough.**

 **Confusing, right? You'll understand later.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: Should I? You already know the deal.**

 **Adrift.**

Tayler was running through the streets of Storybrooke. Her heart beat out of control as she tried to push down the painful memories that came with being Lily once again. She clenched her teeth.

She needed to find Henry. He had known of the curse all along, so maybe he would know why out of sudden she remembered.

Or maybe his book… Maybe his book had something on Lily's father. She couldn't really remember if there was something about Captain Hook in those pages, always looking at Snow and Charming's love story.

A dark cloud of purple smoke appeared on one end of the street and Lily's heart sped up. It wasn't exactly the same cloud that had sent them all to The Land Without Magic, but it was similar.

Maybe it would send them all back to the Enchanted Forest?

The cloud washed over Tayler, ruffling her hair and tugging at her blanket. Lily closed her eyes and wrapped her blanked around herself tightly. She counted under her breath to ten and then opened her eyes.

Purple met her. Like she was inside a thick bog. She could see her hand in front of her, but that was all.

But then the cloud started to dissipate and Tayler was able to see the street again. And so she went back to running towards the hospital.

There wasn't anyone in the reception so Tayler let herself in. She already knew the number of Henry's room and the way there, though the hospital wasn't big enough to cause any confusion.

She bumped into the blonde woman and his son on the hall to Henry's room. Emma had a suspicious look on her eyes, while Henry eyed her hopefully, his face still painted in pink even though he already had gotten rid of the paper crown.

Tayler let a smile spread over her face. "You're awake!" she exclaimed throwing herself at Henry. "Paige and I were so worried. What was that smoke? Is the curse broken? How? What happened to you? Was it poison? How are you awake?"

"Why are you on your PJ's?" Emma wondered.

Tayler made a face. "That doesn't matter."

"Emma broke the curse," Henry told her with a grin, elated that his beliefs were proven true. "I ate my mother's turnover and was put under a sleeping curse. At breaking that, Emma also broke the Dark Curse."

Lily turned to look at the Savior and tried to smile, though it came out more like a grimace. "Thank you, I guess."

Henry grinned at her with wide eyes. "So… are you really Tiger Lily?"

"It has been a long time since I've heard that name," she sighed. "But you can keep calling me Ty, if you want."

Emma shuddered looking at the girl. "Wasn't Tiger Lily supposed to be Indian?"

Lily smirked. "Tell that to the pixies," she said.

Emma and Henry blinked. "What?"

Tayler just grinned at them. "Shouldn't we be like looking for Snow and Charming? They are your parents after all," she said glancing at Emma.

The woman winced. "Don't remind me."

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Lily breathed out slowly, her eyes fixed on the path beneath her. Her eyes glinted in the dark, the only thing that gave away her camouflage. She lowered herself on the branch under her and winced when the tree rustled.

Nibs, the Lost Boy standing guard, looked around tightening his grip on his spear. For a few seconds Lily envied his dark skin that hid him in the night without any effort. But, still, he never looked up.

Lily crashed into him from above, knocking him unconscious. Just to be safe she dragged him to one of the trees and tied him up before walking away with his spear.

"That's for stealing my birds," she told him remembering their last encounter. She kicked him in the shin for good measure.

The cage was in the exact same place it had been those last five weeks. Lily had been watching it without interruption all that time, so she wasn't surprised.

She had discovered the cage thanks to following an unsuspecting Devin through the jungle. He'd been muttering angry about having to bring _her_ food and that had picked Lily's curiosity.

So she knew there was someone in that cage, a woman, important enough that Pan had the Lost Boys giving up their food (something they were quite possessive about) at least once a day, sometimes twice.

And Lily's hope had flared up. She'd spent the last three months stuck on the island, without any kind of lead on how to get off. But maybe the woman on the cage knew something and Lily was sure she wouldn't be very happy at Pan for having locked her up.

The cage was easy to break with the sword she'd stolen from Curly some days ago, seeing that her own sword was probably on the Jolly Roger, next to Bae's, or with her fake dead body at the bottom of the ocean. A blonde girl blinked inside the cage, a hopeful but scared glint on her eyes.

"You're a little girl," she said.

Lily grinned at her. "So are you," she extended her hand. "My name is Tiger Lily and I've come to get you out of here."

The girl's eyes widened and she stared hard at the brown haired child. Lily dropped her arm, awkward, and smiled trying to cover it up.

"Has Peter sent you?" Blondie wondered.

Lily snorted. "Gods, no. Pan and I aren't friends. I've come to help you escape."

"Escape?" the girl blinked. "So he doesn't know you're here?"

"Well, I certainly hope so," she smirked. "Otherwise that would mean all those hours camouflaging were useless."

The girl scowled at her and crawled backwards so that she was pressed against the end of the cage. "I'm not going to fall for that," she said. "I'm not risking John and Michael. You can leave now."

Lily sputtered at her. "You want to stay _here_? But he has you in a bloody cage!"

Blondie crossed her arms. "Peter has made especially clear what the price of my freedom is. And I'm not willing to pay it."

Lily sighed and rubbed her face tiredly. So much for an easy escape.

"I guess we'll have to go with the backup plan."

The girl frowned, hugging herself. "What's the backup plan?"

Lily grinned cheerfully and raised the sword, ready to strike with the hilt. "I'm kidnapping you," she announced.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

The streets were full of people hugging and screams of joy. Long-awaited reunions were happening everywhere between lovers, siblings, parents, friends…

Tayler couldn't help but smile, her heart full of hope; if everybody in the Enchanted Forest had been brought back to Storybrooke then her father had to be around there somewhere. She would finally be able to be with him after all that time.

"They are all so happy…" Henry commented and smiled up at Emma. "And that's all because of you."

Emma didn't look very comfortable with her new role in the town. "Kid…"

"Look!" Tayler pointed at a hurdle of people in front of Granny's. "There they are!" she could see Snow, Charming, Red, Granny and the dwarves.

Emma's steps slowed down and Henry had to tug his reluctant mother through the street.

"-we do now?" Red was wondering.

Charming clasped his hand with Grumpy as Snow stepped away from the dwarves. "Now?" she said. "Now I find my daughter."

Tayler nudged Emma, who remained silent at the perfect opening. "So it's true," the Sheriff said at last.

They all turned and tears of joy appeared in the couple's eyes. Lily decided to give them some privacy and bounced over to Red.

"Ty!" the she-wolf engulfed her in her arms with a happy laugh.

Granny also hugged her tightly in one of her patented Granny hugs. When she finally let her go, Tayler went and high-fived all of the dwarves twice, because only once wasn't good enough.

"She did it," Henry said from David's arms. "She saved you."

"She saved all of us," Snow said.

Emma was clearly uncomfortable. "Well… I…"

"Uh… then why are we still here?" Grumpy asked with a frown.

Lily nodded, once again next to Red. "He's right. I thought we would go back to the Enchanted Forest or something."

Snow's face light up with joy. "Ty!"

The once teacher grabbed Lily's arms and pulled her into a hug. Tayler's scream of surprise was muffled against the woman's coat and when Snow held her close she melted in her arms.

Charming ruffled her hair once Snow let her go and winked confidentially. Lily grinned back, her heart warm at all the joy in everybody's faces.

.

.

They were all marching Tayler didn't know exactly where. Rumplestiltskin had brought magic back (that bloody coward) and Emma wanted to find him.

But Lily only wanted to go to the docks, find the Jolly and have a long talk with her father. And then go back home and talk with her other father.

It was such a mess.

"Ty!" a shout made them all, even those who weren't nicknamed Ty, turn around.

It was Heidi, who was holding onto Kyle's hand.

"Wendy!" Tayler grinned widely and rushed to meet her sister.

Emma gulped behind her. "Wendy? As in Wendy Darling?" she snorted. "And I guess he's supposed to be Peter Pan, then."

Wendy met her on the middle and both sisters hugged. Wendy laughed into her hair and then stepped aside, pushing her good-naturedly.

"It seems I can't get rid of you even with a curse," she teased.

Tayler grinned. "Oh, you would have missed me. There always would have been something missing, and then you'd realize it was me."

Wendy scoffed. "Please, you are a pain in the arse."

Thankfully they were interrupted before they could start bickering. Rooted on the same spot he'd been when he saw them Kyle stared with wide eyes at the sisters.

"Lily?" he called.

Lily turned unconsciously, even though it had been years since she'd been addressed that way. Her mouth dropped open at the sight of Kyle and a gasp left her lips.

"Jim?" she started to grin. "Jimmy!" before she knew it her feet were carrying her across the street.

"Lils! How are you-" she crashed into him and he held her close, not willing to let her go. "Are you really here?"

Lily nodded against her chest, feeling somewhat closer to home already. "I missed you," she whispered.

"I missed you too," he muttered into her hair.

Lily looked up at him and then everything came back, hitting her all at once: her mother's death, all those years in Neverland, her father's abandonment…

"Oh, Lils," Jim sighed and wiped one tear from her cheek, also tearing up.

Lily started to sob leaning her head against his chest once again and Jimmy held her close, sharing her pain.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Lily mixed the stew cooking in the fire and let out a long sigh. "Are you going to keep looking at me like that?"

Tinkerbell's gaze travelled to one of the carefully straightened tents. "I just can't believe you kidnapped her!"

"She wouldn't come!" Lily huffed. "She didn't want to leave."

Tink scoffed. "Well, she must have had a good reason, then."

Suddenly both heads snapped back to the tent. "Speaking off," Lily muttered.

Lily's hostage walked out of the tent with a confused expression on her face and rubbing the back of her head. She looked around perplexed and her stomach rumbled at the smell of the stew.

"Do you want some?" Lily offered gesturing to one of the mats around the fire.

The girl sat down. "Where am I?"

"Welcome," Lily said bombastically. "To the Indian Village."

Blondie blinked. "The Indian Village?" she looked around. "But there's only like… four tents."

Lily scowled. "Hey! It took me some time to build all of those!"

Suddenly the girl scowled. "Hey! You're the one that kidnapped me! Take me back!"

"I just need you to tell me how to get out of this bloody island."

The girls scoffed. "You think I know that?"

Lily blinked. "Aren't you friends with Pan?"

Blondie burst out laughing. "F-friends?" she snorted. "No! I am only his prisoner. He hasn't visited me for over a hundred years. The Lost Boys are the only ones that come and only to bring food."

Lily gaped at her. "And you want to go back to that cage?"

"I don't have a choice," the girl smiled sadly.

Lily bit her lip. "I am giving you one now," she said in the end. "Stick with me. When I find a way off I'll take you with me. And I'll protect you when Pan tries to take you back."

Blondie shook her head. "I can't. Pan will kill my brothers if I don't obey him."

"Your brothers?" Tinkerbell asked.

"John and Michael. Pan is keeping them young if I do what he says," she explained.

Lily and Tink shared a knowing look. "And I'd bet anything they work for him."

The girl nodded. Tink cursed with a frown and Lily shook her head.

"That bloody bastard."

Blondie looked at both of them, confused. "What's happening?"

"Pan is manipulating all of you," Lily said. "He's telling you he'll keep your brothers alive if you do as he says and he's doing the same with your brothers. That way he has the three of you under control."

"But there's nothing we can do," the girls said. "If I escape he'll kill them and if they try to break me out, he'll kill me."

Lily smirked. "Look, Blondie, we're doing something now," at the confused expression on the other's girl's face she started to explain. "If you escape, Pan won't have the leverage he needs against your brothers, because you aren't in his power anymore."

Tinkerbell leaned in. "But Pan _needs_ your brothers. He hasn't got many workers because most of the people who end on his island are Lost Boys and he can't send them on those kind of missions or they are people who don't know the whole of it."

"And with my father gone," Lily pipped in. "The numbers just got smaller."

Blondie stared at them. "So… what does that mean?"

"Pan _can't_ kill your brothers because he needs them more than they need him. And he can't control you anymore because you know he _won't_ kill your brothers."

The girl bit her lip. "But what if he kills them anyway?"

"Then all of his plan will go to hell," Tinkerbell said bluntly. "It's probably best that you get away from him because Pan doesn't take it very well when people try to stop working for him," and she looked at Lily sideways.

The girl looked at both of them in silence. "So what do I do now?"

Lily smiled at her. "Why, join the Indians, of course."

Tink snorted. "You can't say the Indians when it's only you."

Lily glared at her. "Well," she looked hopefully at the girl. "We can be two now."

"Are you sure Pan won't hurt my brothers?" Blondie asked.

"Aye, positive."

"The best you can do right now is get away from this island."

The girl's lips started to curl into a smile. "I guess I have to find myself and Indian name, then."

Lily snorted. "I don't think that will be necessary. What's your name?"

"Wendy, Wendy Darling."

"Alright, Blondie," Lily smirked at her. "Welcome to the team."

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Wendy set the tea down on the table, managing to drop only a few small drops. But with how hard her hands were shaking that was a huge accomplishment.

The three of them, Lily, Jimmy and Wendy, were on the girl's living room. Their father wasn't there and even if the sisters worried about him they knew in the end he would come back to her.

Cursed or not curse they were still a family.

"So…" Heidi doubted for a few seconds but in the end sat on the couch next to Jim. "How do you two know each other?"

Lily and Jim shared a look. They both could see through Wendy's façade of cool indifference. Jim shook his head amused and draped one arm over her shoulders.

Tayler, who was sitting alone in one of the armchairs, decided to speak up. "Jim is my cousin," she explained. "Our fathers were brothers."

"Oh," a relieved smile broke Heidi's face. "Cousins… Of course," she then turned to Kyle. "So Jim, huh?"

Jim grabbed her hand and kissed the back. "Jim Hawkins at your service."

Heidi raised an eyebrow. "Jim Hawkins? As in _Treasure Island_?" she snorted.

"You're the one to talk, _Wendy Darling_ ," he mocked. "Were you in Neverland? I think I would have remembered meeting a girl like you."

Tayler gagged. "Okay, that's enough. It was already bad watching you flirt when only one of you was related to me, it's ten times worse now that the two of you are."

"How did you two met?" Jim asked.

And then Lily launched into the story which prompted them to start explaining stories, each one trying to best the others with the most amazing tale.

.

.

Marco knocked on the door hours later, when it was already going dark. The remains of the pizza they had for supper were still on the table and the old man grabbed one in complete silence.

No one knew what to say.

"Um…" Jim stood up. "So maybe I should get going…"

All the eyes in the room fell on him and Marco blinked sluggishly. He looked tired and older than usual, his eyes were empty.

"And who are you?"

He started stuttering. Heidi came to his rescue. "He's Kyle Gordon, my boyfriend."

Tayler's eyebrows rose, she didn't know they had gotten to that part yet. Marco wasn't so pleasantly surprised and he started to turn purple.

"He's also Jim Hawkins," Lily added. "My cousin."

Marco fished one of the empty chairs and fell on it. He discarded his piece of pizza on the table and rubbed his face. "Your cousin…" he raised his eyes to look at Tayler. "He's your family."

Tayler quickly caught on what he was trying to say. "Yeah. His parents are dead though. So is my mum. My papa is not here at the moment but I promised myself I would find him."

His eyes became even emptier. "I see."

"My parents have been dead for years," Wendy pipped in trying to cheer him up. "And Ty is the closest thing I've had to a family for years since my brothers…" she trailed off. "You've been my dad for twenty-eight years," Heidi said. "And I remember every single moment of it. It may have been a curse, but you're still my dad," her eyes watered and she smiled. "I-I love you, no matter what. You aren't my biological dad and you weren't either in the curse, but I loved you like one anyway," she reached over and grasped one of his hands.

"Heidi…" his voice broke.

Heidi squeezed his hand. "And you have been a much better dad than my papa was. I wouldn't trade these past years for anything."

And then she kicked Tayler under the table, urging her to say her part. Her throat closed in and her stomach gave a lurch.

What could she say? Her father, unlike Wendy's, had been a good one for almost three hundred years and he was still alive. But that didn't mean that she didn't love Marco like another father. He'd been one also for years.

She sighed. "This is such a mess," her gaze fell to the kitchen table as she tried to make sense of her thoughts. "You _are_ my dad," she said in the end raising her head to look at Marco. "And I do love you. But I have another father whom I also love very much."

"And where do we stand, then?"

Tayler stared at him with wide blue eyes. "I guess we will have to feel our way along," she smiled at him. "All I know right know is that you are as much my father as he is and I need you both in my life," she also searched for his hand. "Did you find August?"

They all looked at her funnily. "August?" Marco asked.

"Aye, he's Pinocchio. I thought you knew that."

Wendy sputtered. "Wait, what? _Pinocchio_? _The_ Pinocchio? The I-am-a-real-boy Pinocchio?"

"Do you know any more?" Tayler smirked at her.

Wendy stared at her. "But that means…" she gaped at Marco. "You're _Geppetto_?"

Marco grinned at her. "A pleasure to meet you…"

"Wendy," she said. "Wendy Darling."

Marco's eyes bugged out as he stared at his daughter. Tayler decided to have her fun. "And I am Lilian Jones, although most people know me as Tiger Lily."

Her father blinked. "You don't look very Indian."

"Oh come on!"

 **.**

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 **Sooo… that was fun. I hope the Wendy-John-Michel-Peter thing made sense because I needed an excuse for Wendy to come with Lily (obviously) and at first she wasn't going to know her brothers were on the island, but she does tell Emma and company on the show so… I had to get creative.**

 **I have to admit that while writing the scene where Tiger Lily is all camouflaged and stuff I couldn't help but imagine her singing at the paintbrush: CAMO-CAMO-CAMOFLAGE, CAMO-CAMO-CAMOFLAGE Just like Peeta in How the Hunger Games Should Have Ended.**

 **Things like this, I have to say, happen a lot.**

 **Ollie: Next chapter you get your wish! I promise! Ha! I'm guessing you didn't expect old Jimmy there, right?**

 **Katymint: Awwww! Thanks a lot! I'm happy you liked it. (Henry didn't love it so much hahahaha). Pan is really a bas- bad boy. But there's a part of me that still likes him anyway. Rumple will have to wait a little bit, but I hope it will not disappoint.**

 **MW.**


	16. Two sides of the same coin

**I'M BACK! I haven't updated in a long time (I could make the joke "I haven't updated in a year" but I won't because I appreciate you more than that) and I'm sorry for that. I just had a big writer's block, you know how that's it.**

 **But I'm back now and we're in the second season now. Hook will be coming soon.**

 **Do you know this story has gotten 50 reviews? Maybe it doesn't sound like much but it's very important to me so thank you a lot. All of you. It makes me very happy whenever I see someone who liked the story.**

 **And now I'll leave you to it. Enjoy!**

 **Two sides of the same coin.**

Lily blinked at the sight of the street. Fallen lamps, turned cars, broken glasses…

"What the hell happened here?" she asked with wide eyes.

"Something really bad," Wendy guessed. ""We should go to see if we can help."

Wendy and Marco started to walk through the street, avoiding the debris on the pavement. "Wait, Dad," she called. "Here, I made this," she fished a piece of paper from her bag.

"What is this?" Marco looked at the picture.

Lily gulped. "It's a portrait of August –Pinocchio– so you can hang around to get people to call you if they see him" she explained. "And so he knows you are looking for him."

"Tayler…" Marco's voice was soft, filled with emotion.

Tayler smiled watery at him. "I know," she said. "Now, come one, let's see if we can help."

.

.

The City Hall was a mess. Everybody ran around, lost, and nobody really knew what to do.

"Red!" Tayler rushed towards Ruby.

"Thank gods, Ty," Ruby sighed. "This is such a mess."

Wendy stood behind Tayler, clutching at her shoulders. "How can we help?"

Red was clearly overwhelmed. "Here," she trusted a bundle of blankets into their direction and Wendy quickly caught them. "Get those to Blue over there; she's taking care of the injured."

"The Blue Fairy, okay, got it."

Tayler looked around. "This is getting out of hand. Nobody knows what to do."

"It's okay. It'll be fine. We just need everyone to remain calm," Ruby said.

Lily snorted. "Do you know you just sounded like a flight attendant? There are several emergency exits on this aircraft two forward, two on the rear, and four on the sides, two over each wing," she said as she pointed forward, backwards and to the sides.

Ruby smiled lightly and nudged at her. "Shut up. I have a feeling our prince is working on something right now. Everything will be fine."

Tayler nodded. "Alright. What can I do to help?"

Red looked around but it was difficult to think when everybody was shouting panicked. "If only they'd shut up…"

Lily's eyes light up. "That's it! I have an idea!" she bounced on the spot. "Get me a table and a chair or something, I'll be right back."

.

.

When Tayler returned, this time with Paige by her side, thing weren't much better. Red had readied her table, but it had already been occupied by some blankets and first aid kits.

"Alright, let's clear this up, P," Tayler whispered to Paige.

Paige grabbed the blankets and set them on the floor next to their table while Tayler dealt with the kits. "I still don't understand what you're planning to do."

"Everybody is lost," Tayler explained as she looked around for another chair. "And they all are looking for someone," Paige's face fell. "We're going to help them. We are going to make a list of everybody's old and new persons and ask them a way to contact them. We'll even add pictures from your camera," she explained gesturing to Paige's eleventh birthday gift.

Paige nodded slowly. "I see."

"Tiger Lily!" Red ran toward them. "Where were you? Everything is getting out of hand," she rubbed her face.

Tayler smiled cheerfully at her. "Don't worry, we're here to help."

"We're making a new town census!" Paige exclaimed.

Ruby blinked. "That's… that's actually a good idea."

Lily grinned. "I know. Now, can you get us another chair?"

Once they were alone Paige looked back at her best friend with wide eyes. " _Tiger Lily_?"

"It's so nice to meet you Miss…" she left the sentence in the air.

"Grace," Paige said.

Tayler snorted. "I already know your surname, silly."

Paige shook her head. "No, my real name is Grace."

Tayler blinked at her and then started chortling. "And I thought I already had enough jokes. Now you're Grace Grace!"

Grace glared at her. "You're the one to talk, _Tiger Lily_ , aren't you supposed to be Indian?"

Lily dropped her head in the table with a groan.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"Do you remember the plan?" Lily asked.

Wendy huffed. "Of course I remember it! We've only looked it over like a hundred times!" she rolled her eyes.

Lily glared at her. "I'm nervous, alright? We're finally leaving this island."

"We've been planning this for over a _year_ ," Wendy put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Everything is going to be fine."

Lily breathed in. "You're right. We've got this."

"Look!" Wendy pointed at the sky. In the distance someone was lighting a fire in the middle of the jungle, and the smoke was curling up towards the sky. "That's Tink, that's the signal."

"I know," Lily tightened her grip on her sword. "Good luck."

Wendy patted her shoulder. "You too. I'll see you soon."

And then she disappeared into the camp, her sword held high and a scream on her lips.

The Lost Boys were obviously surprised and even more lost seeing that Pan and his best man Felix had gone to have a talk with Tinkerbell about her friendship with certain Indians.

"Follow her! She's got the pipe!"

Ah, a brilliant touch! Lily hadn't thought of it and she was sure Wendy hadn't either, just a spur of the moment. But with stealing Pan's pipe she was making sure most of the Lost Boys would follow her.

"Nibs! Slightly!" Reaper called. "You two stay here. She might not be alone."

Reaper was smart, indeed, but Lily was faster and better with a sword than those two.

When all the Lost Ones but two had left the camp, Lily stepped out of the woods. The two idiots weren't even paying attention to their surroundings, too busty arguing between then who should be the one to stay on the watch-out point while the other lounged next to the fire.

Lily sighed, it wasn't fun if they didn't participate. "Maybe," she called. "Instead of arguing with each other you should do your jobs," she smirked at them. "I'm just saying."

Nibs glared at her with all his might, but, seeing that the last time she saw him he ended up unconscious and tied up to a tree, she couldn't blame him. Slightly roared at her and charged.

Lily sidestepped and tripped him. When Slightly was too busy trying not to fall down, she turned around and hit him hard in the head with the hilt of her sword.

He was out cold within seconds.

"Well, that was easy," Lily grinned at Nibs. "Think you can do it better?"

He growled. "Don't be so smug," he told her. "It's payback time."

They lunged at each other with their swords held high. He was stronger, but she was faster and she always stepped away from his blows.

"Did Curly manage to get another sword?" she wondered.

"Pan wasn't happy," Nibs scowled and swiped at her feet, but she jumped away and slashed at his arm. "Curly had to work a lot to regain his trust."

Lily rolled her eyes and twirled, but his sword was already blocking hers. "It wasn't exactly his fault."

"He fell asleep on his watch," Nibs said skeptic. "It _was_ his fault."

Lily ducked his blade and kicked his knee. "I would have stolen it either way. And Pan knows that."

Nibs huffed and stepped back, needing a few seconds to breathe. "What do you want, Tiger Lily?"

She had to jump to the side to avoid his sword. "What makes you think I want something?"

"You wouldn't be here otherwise."

"Otherwise, that's a big word. When did you become so smart?"

He tried to punch her in the face for that comment, forgetting for one second he had a sword. Lily just ducked and laughed.

"You wouldn't happen to know where Pan's stash of pixie dust is, would you?"

Nibs scoffed. "Like I'd tell you. Besides, he always carries the most important things with him."

"Like pixie dust?"

"And his sword."

"And that awful straw doll of his."

"Oh, gods, I almost forgot about the doll."

Lily hissed when his blade scrapped her side. "What about his house?" she gasped.

"What about it?"

"Does he have any dust there?"

Nibs snorted. "You won't find anything of interest on his house. There's only a cot, some blankets, maybe a couple of swords and some other trinkets of no use. I think he even still has your flower."

"So no Pixie dust."

"Nope."

"Not one speck?"

"Uh-uh."

"Nothing magical?"

"Just a couple of charms."

Lily grinned suddenly up at him. "Thanks, that's all I needed to hear."

Nibs' grip faltered for a second and Lily used his distraction to grab some poppy powder from her satchel and blow it on face. He dropped to the ground, suddenly asleep.

Lily shook off the dust from her hands and rolled her eyes at the boy on the ground. He'd always had a problem controlling his mouth; the more concentration he needed on something else, the less filter he had.

Lily hooted and took off running towards Pan's not-so-secret Hideout.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Henry glared at the phone on his hand. "Come on, Grandpa."

"Is he still not picking up?"

Henry looked up at her. "No, and he _has_ to be here," they both looked around the hall, where everybody was in a disarray.

"Is that a crossbow?" Lily stared with twitching lips at the weapon in Granny's hands. "Where did she get that?"

Henry shrugged, staring at his phone with a frown on his face. Tayler could see that he was troubled and she didn't like it.

"I see you finally got rid of the highlighter," she teased him.

Henry looked up and glared at her but there wasn't any hatred on his eyes. "Yeah, thanks for that. All I needed was for the curse to be broken and me with a pink moustache."

"And goatee," Tayler added snickering.

Henry's lips twitched. "And a goatee," he conceded. "And my first impression with most of the people of the Enchanted Forest was with that! My grandparents first saw me as their grandson with a pink moustache and goatee."

Tayler laughed out loud shaking her head. "Oh gods, that only made it even funnier."

"It didn't! And nobody told me anything until Ruby was taking me home!"

Tayler clutched at her stomach. "I-I'm just rem-remembering Grumpy's fa-face," she gasped out before succumbing to another fit of giggles.

Henry couldn't help but smile, too. And then Ruby appeared at their side, a perplexed look on her face at the sight of Lily laughing her head off.

"What's with her?"

Henry made a face. "She's remembering my makeup from yesterday."

Ruby snorted. "It was her handiwork, right?"

Lily straightened. "Of course it was," she declared proudly. "Paige, well, Grace, made the crown."

"He's not picking up," Henry told Ruby seriously deciding just to ignore the other girl. Tayler pouted at him.

Red crouched a little so she was the same height as Henry and squeezed his arms reassuringly. "Just keep trying."

And then the doors burst open on their own, with Regina standing smugly behind them, her hands on her hips.

"My…" she said. "What a nice turnout," she started to walk over the way they had all made for her. "No need for a fuzz. It's just little old me."

Archie decided to intervene. "Regina," he said. "Think about what you're doing."

But Regina only stared at him with disgust. "Bug," she told him and with a swipe of her hand she sent him flying backwards.

Lily suddenly snorted at the familiar scene. "Woah, _déjà-vu_ ," she told Henry.

Henry didn't seem to find it funny and he winced when Leroy ended up the same way as Archie. "She's coming for me," he whispered.

Lily guessed where he was going. "No!" she said. "Don't even think about it!"

But Regina had made a fireball out of an arrow Granny had shot and Henry steeled his face, his decision already made.

And Tayler knew there was nothing she could do to make him change his mind.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

It wasn't the first time Lily was on Pan's hideout. In fact, she'd been there not long before meeting Wendy, trying to see if there was something to help her escape the island and break a few things in retaliation for keeping her there.

She hadn't thought about the charm that time.

But there it was, hidden between other charms and stones on a fruit bowl on the wooden table on the middle of the room.

Lily snatched it fast and held it close to her heart. It was their ticket out of that hellhole after all. It was a sea-green stone as big as Lily's fist and with a rim of gold fixed all around it. Hanging from the golden frame there was a leather strip which had been used some time ago to hang the charm to the bowsprit of the Jolly.

Now Lily tied the straps around her neck so the charm rested over her sternum. It was cold against her skin and she shivered.

Lily stole one apple from a bowl next to the bed and made her way to outside.

She was supposed to go straight to their meeting point, right on the middle of the Indian Village, which had expanded thanks to the alliance between Lily and the pixies (they had been oh-so-happy at hearing the name of the camp). But she took a little detour.

It was a stroke of luck that Bae was on his cave for once, sharpening his sword.

"Hello there."

Bae looked up and smiled softly at his sister. "Hey, Lils!" he nodded at her. "What brings you here?"

"Do you fancy a way out of this place?" she asked.

Bae frowned in confusion. "Out of the cave? I've told you before I'm not moving to your stupid Indian Village. You're not even Indian."

"That's the fun part," she pouted when he went back to his sword. "Anyway, I meant out of Neverland."

Bae's head shot up. "What? Out of Neverland? That's… that's not possible."

Lily caught the charm from under her shirt and dangled it in front of her. "Are you sure of that?"

Bae wasn't as impressed as she'd expected. "What is that?"

"That's a Siren's charm. Pan made my Papa get it a long time ago. Remember the first time I stayed here? Yeah, Sirens aren't very fond of females so that's why I couldn't go. Anyway, we've used this for _years_ to travel from world to world. When my Papa left Pan made him return it, but now I got it back."

Bae's eyes widened. "So we can go home?"

Lily's face fell a little. "Well, not exactly. When we gave it back, Pan took out all the power from it."

"So it no longer works," Bae was also disappointed. "Congratulations on getting a broken charm."

Lily huffed. "We just need some pixie dust to make it open one last portal. The pixies have agreed to help me if I let them come with me. They also want to leave this sick place," she grinned. "And now we can all go back to the Enchanted Forest."

Baelfire scowled. "The Enchanted Forest? No, there's no way I'm going back. My father is still there!"

"Maybe my papa has already killed him?" Lily suggested.

Bae glared at her. "Not helping, Lils."

"Come on, Bae! Please, come with us!"

"Why can't we go to the Land Without Magic?"

Lily frowned. "The pixies _are_ magic, they can't survive without it. And we need at least one pixie to cross the portal to make it work and send us where we need to. I promised them I would get them _all_ out. And either way, I'm not going to ask one pixie to sacrifice himself just because you're too scared that you _might_ find your father."

Bae's eyes flashed. "No, of course you wouldn't understand. _Your_ father is not a power-hungry demon, _your_ father doesn't love his magic more than he loves you, _our_ mother didn't abandon you!"

"Don't turn this on our mother!" she shouted. "If you're too afraid to come to the Enchanted Forest admit it, but don't pin this on me _or_ my mother."

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

They heard a tired sigh by the entrance to the cove. "Tink!" both siblings exclaimed happily. "Tell him/her he/she's being stupid!" they screamed at the same time.

Tinkerbell looked between the two kids and shook her head. "He doesn't want to come?"

"He's a bloody coward," Lily spat. "Just like his father."

"I'm nothing like my father!"

"You were supposed to protect me! To stay with me and be my family!"

Bae stood up. "You are not supposed to ask me impossible things. Why are you making it so difficult for me?"

"I am doing the right thing!" she screamed. "I'm saving as many people as I can!"

Tinkerbell coughed, stopping the harmful words she knew they were going to come out of Bae's lips. "Tiger Lily," she said. "Why don't you get going? I'll talk with him," she said calmly.

Lily spared one last glance at her brother and nodded sharply at the once fairy. "I'll wait until sundown," she told her.

And then she left the cove.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"Whoa, whoa, Dad! What are you doing?"

Marco looked up from the car trunk where he was playing Tetris. "I'm packing."

Tayler blinked at him. " _Why_?"

Wendy's head appeared over the roof of the car as she struggled to deposit the TV over it. "Oh, hey Ty!" she greeted breathlessly.

Tayler stared at the both of them and what seemed to be the whole house sprawled around the car. "What are you _doing_?" she repeated.

Marco sighed and walked towards her, carefully avoiding the rocking chair on his path. "You've seen what's happening. The Evil Queen has her magic back, Snow and the Sheriff are gone and the Prince seems to be lost as well. And with two lives in my head I'm afraid I'm going to go crazy… I don't know what's right anymore."

Lily gaped at him. "B-b-but… you can't leave! You'll forget who you are!"

Marco put his hands over her shoulders. "I'm only going to forget part of who I am. Yes, my cursed self wasn't really me, but I was happy with you two. We can get everything back to normal, far away from here where it's safe."

"You've always wanted to see New York, right?" Wendy called leaning on her elbows. "Now is our chance."

Lily stepped back from her father and his hands fell to his sides. "You can't really believe this is the right thing to do," she said shaking her head. "You're killing a part of yourselves!" she glared at Marco. "What about Pinocchio? Do you want to forget him?"

Marco's face fell. "That's the last thing I want to do," he said. "But if Henry's right then my boy isn't a boy anymore, he's a grown man and he doesn't need me. But you two do, and I can't keep us here when I know it can get us all killed. Or worse," his eyes were pleading.

Lily's eyes were filled with tears. "I don't… I can't…" her breaths faltered.

"Tayler, don't!" Marco called.

But she was already running.

.

.

She ended curled up in the cold beach, her knees tucked under her chin, trying hard to regulate her breathing. Everything was going to hell so quickly that Lily didn't know how to fix it.

If she didn't go with Marco, her father would leave her and Heidi too. Who knows if Jim would also stay on Storybrooke? And Lily had yet to see what was left of the Jolly's crew. She would be alone.

But if she didn't stay on the town she would lose the part of her that made her Lily, Tiger Lily. She would forget her father and Wendy and Jim and even Snow, Charming, Red, Granny and the dwarves. She wouldn't be herself, but she also wouldn't be alone.

"Tiger Lily!" a shout broke her out of her thoughts. "What are you doing here?"

Tayler tried to make out her visitors through the tears in her eyes. "Red? Charming?"

"Are you crying?" Charming ran to her side. "What's wrong?"

"Marco is leaving!" she exclaimed hitting the sand. "He's leaving and he's taking Wendy with him! He's scared of the Queen and having two sets of memories. So they are leaving. Going to New York."

David sat next to her. "And why aren't you going with them?" he wondered. "Maybe becoming only your cursed safe isn't so bad when you're with people you love. You were happy during the curse, right? Would it be so bad to lose part of yourself if you're still happy and safe?"

Lily looked up, glaring at him. "Of course it would! I don't want to forget anything! I don't want to forget my real life but I don't want to pretend my cursed life didn't happen. Because it did, and I am as much Tayler as I am Lily. I _am_ Tiger Lily. I don't want to forget my place or the people who love me.

» My real father isn't here, and I don't want to forget him. Or Jim. Or even you. All of you are part of who am I. There's a lot of pain in my old life, but it has made me stronger, tougher. But I don't want to forget Marco either, or Heidi or even Uncle Graham. Tayler is the child I'm not, the childhood I lost and I wouldn't trade it either. I have… I have people I care about in both and they don't always match. But I love all of them, I _want_ all of them. I don't want to choose," she sniffed. "I won't be happy if I have to choose. I need both, I _am_ both."

David tugged her close to him, nesting her under his arm. "You won't have to choose," he promised. "I'll stop them, I'll make them see the right path. We all belong to this town, together, and we can't leave it. It's our _home_. And I'm going to make them see that."

David stood up, brushing the sand from his pants. "Now come on, let's get going," he held out his hand to help her up.

Lily blinked at him. "Going where?"

David grinned at her. "The town line," he said pulling her up. "I have a speech to give."

Red caught her just when she was about to open the door of the truck and she hugged her hard. "I don't want to forget you either," she told her.

Lily laughed breathlessly suddenly overcome with emotion.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Lily glared at the setting sun. "Come on," she muttered. "Come on, Tink."

"Where are they?" Heidi asked.

Brave Heron, Sun Eagle's second in command, bounced towards them. "We are ready, Princess," she announced. "Green Wolf has all the dust ready to make the charm work."

Lily swallowed. "Can we wait a little more?" she stared at the sun. "There are some more people supposed to come."

Brave Heron pressed her lips together in disapproval but nodded sharply nonetheless. "As you wish, Princess."

Wendy and Lily watched as the sun lowered and lowered until it was completely set. The little girl closed her eyes in defeat and sighed loudly.

"I guess Bae's not coming, huh?" Wendy tried to smile. "It seems the fear of his father won in the end."

Brave Heron had been waiting with them on silence. "We can't keep waiting, Princess," she said. "The Lost Ones are surely to come any second now and Pan too," she looked scared but Lily didn't blame her.

"You're right," Lily conceded. "We need to start the evacuation now," she tore the charm from her neck. "Wendy, tell Green Wolf to get started, you are one of the first to go through. Make sure they all arrive safely on the other end," Wendy nodded and grabbed the charm. "Brave Heron, gather some of your warriors," she ordered. "We are going to watch out for any Lost Boys."

"You want me to fight by your side?" Brave Heron asked with wide eyes.

Lily held back a snigger at the awe in the pixie's eyes. "Of course. You are one of the best warriors of your tribe, aren't you?"

Brave Heron managed to nod. "It will be an honor, Princess," she squeaked before bowing.

Lily had to bit her lip very hard to keep herself from laughing out loud.

.

.

Most of the pixies and Wendy had already crossed the portal when the first arrow struck. Luckily, thanks to the darkness of the night, the arrow missed its target by a few inches and they all stood their ground.

Sharp Falcon was the finest archer of all the pixies and his arrows flew straight to their marks. The Lost Ones advance was cut short thanks to his work and Lily stood by his side as they tried to gain ground.

"There's only the warriors left, Princess," Brave Heron announced. "We have to go now."

Lily clenched her teeth. "Go, make sure they all cross. And then scream for us. Sharp Falcon and I will fend them off."

"But…" she started to argue.

"Go!"

Luckily the pixie warriors were fast to evacuate and only Dash, the fastest Lost Boy, was fighting Lily when Brave Heron called for them. Lily buried her sword on Dash stomach and kicked his body to free it. He fell to his knees with a groan, clutching his new wound and she grabbed Sharp Falcon's arm and dragged him into a mad run.

"Go, go, go!" she shouted to Brave Heron, who stood by the sea green portal with indecision on her face. "Jump! Now!"

Brave Heron jumped and Lily pushed Sharp Falcon through just as she felt on of the arrows fly almost grazing her side. She cursed and grabbed Green Wolf's hand.

"See you never!" she shouted back at the running Lost Boys just before she jumped through the portal, dragging the magician pixie behind her.

Lily landed on a forest floor and her mouth filled with leaves. Behind her the portal closed with a whoosh, some arrows still managing to fly through before it completely disappeared.

Lily grinned and sat up. "We made it! WE DID IT!"

The answering cheer made the ground shake.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **So… that's it. And I believe now everything makes sense because it has all been explained.**

 **But if there's something I haven't explained all that well don't hesitate to ask.**

 **MW.**


	17. Eleventh

**No Killian yet but SOMETHING IMPORTANT IS REVEALED and Lily makes a new friend.**

 **There's also a tiny little bit of angst in there. But it's so short you won't almost notice.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: As you know I don't own OUAT.**

 **Eleventh.**

« _"I let my misery cloud my judgment," Milah said shaking her head._

 _The demon looked at her up and down. "Why were you so miserable?" he demanded with disgust._

" _Because I never loved you," she spat._

 _Rumplestiltskin let out a scream of rage and trust his hand on Milah's chest. When he got it out thick dark blood slipped from his fingers._

 _Lily tried to move, to scream or do anything, but her muscles were frozen. She tried to shout at the man to let his mother go but instead he started squeezing the red heart on his hand._

 _More blood splattered on the floor and Milah collapsed on the deck, her eyes wide open but unseeing._

" _No! Mama! Mama! Let me go! MAMA!"_ »

Lily woke up with a gasp. Her cheeks were wet with tears she didn't remember spilling and her breathing was harsh, like she had been fighting for a long time. That had been a recurring nightmare years ago that had been replaced most of the nights by others awful experiences.

Over two hundred years in Neverland were over two hundred years too many.

The door burst open and a mass of blonde hair jumped over her. Lily groaned when an elbow dig into her stomach, but Wendy wasn't apologizing.

"Happy birthday!" her sister exclaimed cheerfully. "You're eleven now! Well, more or less."

Marco stood by the door and watched as his smallest daughter tried to squirm from under her sister's body. "I tried to stop her," he assured. "But you know how she usually gets."

"I've been waiting for over _twenty_ minutes," Wendy moaned. "But you wouldn't wake up."

Of course she wouldn't wake up, Lily thought bitterly. She had gone to sleep way past her usual bedtime, trying to avoid the nightmares as long as possible. It clearly hadn't worked.

"Do you want to go straight to breakfast or shower first?" Marco asked. "You probably want a shower, we all know how you a- Have you been crying?"

Lily wiped her cheeks furiously. "No," she lied.

"Nightmares?" Wendy asked in a soft tone.

Tayler sighed. "What else?"

Wendy grabbed her hand and squeezed it lightly. Lily tried smiling at her softly and Wendy returned her gesture with a sad twitch of her lips.

Marco decided to wait for them downstairs, suddenly feeling like an intruding stranger. It left a bitter taste on his mouth.

.

.

"So…" Tayler looked at her father and her sister with a raised eyebrow. "What are the plans for today?"

Wendy tried to play the innocent card. "Plans? What do you mean?"

Tayler wasn't fooled. "Come on! You really expect me to believe you haven't planned anything? You've always done the same with my last birthdays!" suddenly she frowned, realizing than, in fact, they hadn't had any last birthdays all together as a family.

Wendy saw where her thoughts were going. "Alright, fine, you got us," she smiled. "Could you please just go surfing after school today?"

Tayler groaned. "Do I really have to go to school?"

Marco's lips twitched. "Your sister isn't complaining," he noted.

Lily scowled. "Of course she isn't. How do you think she's planning on spending all her breaks?"

"Heidi…?" Marco fixed his eldest daughter with a warning glance.

Wendy blushed. "Playing hopscotch!" she quickly said. "Gods, Daddy, what do you take me for?"

No one was fooled. "Keep an eye on her, will you?" Marco asked Lily.

She grinned. "Don't worry. I'll make sure Jims follows all the proper procedures for a courtship. With chaperones and everything."

Wendy let her head fall to the table. Lily laughed and reached out for the cereal in the middle of the table.

"So where and when do I have to get back?" she asked.

"Granny's," Marco answered. "Five o'clock."

Tayler raised an eyebrow, impressed. "She let you use the Dinner? During the day?"

"Well, it's actually the courtyard," Marco said. "She is going to help us decorate and everything, so try to act surprised."

"I'll do my best," she promised.

Marco nodded. "Now, hurry up you two. You don't want to be late for school, do you?"

Lily made a face. "And I thought my Papa was bad with his Greek lessons," she grumbled.

.

.

"Happy birthday!" Finn jumped at her with a grin.

Lily smiled back happily. "Where have you _been_?" she punched him lightly on the shoulder. "I haven't seen you since the day before the curse broke."

"I was looking for my grandmother," Finn said.

Lily blinked. "You have a grandmother?"

Finn rolled his eyes. "Of course I have a grandmother!" he scoffed. "Her name is Bridget, well, here is Rose. Rose Green."

Lily's eyes widened. "Rose Green? Like the old lady of the Country Bread?" Finn nodded. "So... does that mean we get free cupcakes?"

Finn blinked. "We? You mean _I_. She's not _your_ grandma."

Tayler huffed. "Come on! We're friends. You will have to share the goods with someone."

"We'll see."

Paige appeared out of nowhere jumping to hug Lily and almost choking her at the same time. "Happy birthday!" she screamed on her ear.

Lily squeaked and tried to free herself from the embrace. "If you keep it like this I won't live to have anymore," she breathed out.

"Ooops, sorry!" Paige let her go. "So… ready to go back to class?"

Her two friends just glared at her. "I can't believe they are making us go so soon. They could have given us a few more days to adapt or something," Finn huffed.

"Well, at least we don't have the exam anymore," Paige said cheerfully.

They weren't amused but they faces light up when the yellow bus appeared and Henry got down with a tired grin. Finn frowned. "What has got him so down?"

"His mum, Emma, and Miss Blanchard, his grandma, got sucked into a portal back to the Enchanted Forest and they are not sure how to get them back," Lily explained with a whisper.

"Okay," Finn nodded. "And what's gotten into Paige?" he wondered. "She doesn't look very happy right now."

And it was true: all the cheeriness that had been in Paige's face seconds ago had vanished like smoke. Lily sighed, recognizing the look on her eyes.

"She's still looking for someone. Maybe a parent or a sibling. But she's starting to lose hope," Lily explained keeping her voice low.

Finn looked at her surprised. "How do you know that?" But her sad and tired eyes gave him all the answers he needed. "Oh…"

He was saved from trying to offer some kind of comfort words by Henry wishing Lily a happy birthday, this time managing to look even somewhat happy for his friend.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

If Lily had to guess the theme of the party, well, it would probably be balloons. Dozens of colorful balloons were hanging by the fence around the courtyard, over the door to the dinner, floating over each one of the food filled tables they had put out and even in the form of an arch on the entrance to the patio.

Lily had been so stunned by the holy display of balloons that she almost jumped out of her skin when everybody burst out the dinner screaming their variations of «Surprise», «Happy birthday» and «Rot in hell, grandma!».

Alright, that last one was only Finn.

Lily smiled at everybody. There was David and Henry, Finn, Paige, her parents and the rest of the class. Red and Granny were grinning at her as were six of the dwarves and even Archie. Marco looked proud standing right next to Wendy, who had her arms around Jim. And next to her cousin were what was left of the once glorious crew of the Jolly Roger; the five nefarious pirates staring at her wide, unbelieving eyes.

The young birthday girl suddenly found herself surrounded by bodies and kisses and pats. She laughed and thanked and laughed some more, everything with a huge smile on her face.

"When Jim told us you were alive…" Jamie shook his head releasing her at last from a long hug. "But you're here! I can't believe it!"

Lily hugged him again; the shining quality on his eyes telling her he needed it. He had always been her favorite after all.

"Here comes the cake!" announced Granny from inside the dinner.

The guests all took the cue and started singing her, rather badly Lily had to admit, happy birthday while Granny made her way through the courtyard with the big cake with eleven candles on top. Lily could see the flashes of some phones and she stared at Paige incredulous when she grinned at her behind her camera.

" _Happy birthday dear Tayler…_ "

" _Happy birthday dear Lily…_ "

" _Happy birthday Tiger Lily…_ "

The names overlapped each other making an undistinguishable cacophony. The singers all stopped and stared at the others with confusion while Lily stood awkwardly in front of the table.

Ruby was her saving grace. "Happy birthday to you!" she finished on her own.

The cake was set on the table and Lily felt the soft nudging of her cousin pushing her closer towards it. She turned to glare at the boy, who was just behind her, her eyes telling him what would happen if he tried to do the same thing he did on 150th birthday party.

He raised his hands with his wide eyes innocent and a smirk playing on his lips. His playful eyes told her he had half in mind to dunk her head on the frosting of the cake once again.

"What are you waiting for?" Henry burst with impatience. "Make a wish!"

A wish. What did she want?

« _I want to find my father and for everything to be alright_ » she thought to herself. And then she blew the candles out in one breath and then took a step back before her cousin could get through with his plan.

Jim sniggered. "If you had to blow the candles of your real age we would still be here tomorrow."

"You're the one to talk," she huffed. "You're older than me."

"Only four years!" Jim said and then took a good look at her.

Jim was only four years older than her and in the three hundred years they had spent looking like an eight-year-old and a twelve-year-old in Neverland it had never seemed like such a huge gap. But now… now Jim was almost eighteen and Lily had just turned eleven; that put seven years between them and it showed.

Lily gulped and looked up at him with wide eyes. Jim put a comforting hand on her shoulder, his smile understanding but sad. Lily's lips twitched in small smile of return and Jim nodded once.

Then they turned back to the rest of the party as if nothing had happened.

The first slice of the cake went for Lily, who was delighted to find out it was all chocolate. Her moan of appreciation told Granny, and all the guests, what she wanted to hear.

After everyone had their fill of the cake and the food that Granny and Red had prepared earlier in the day, it came the time of the presents. To Lily's surprise, there was a lot of people who wanted to shower her with gifts.

"You didn't have to," she said suddenly overcome with emotion. "I mean I…"

Paige rolled her eyes and put a bright lumpy pink package on her arms. "Here. Shut up."

Lily gaped at her for some seconds until she raised her camera with an expectant look on her face. Lily grinned and opened her present.

It was a black leather jacket, the same one Lily had been drooling over some months ago when she went shopping with Paige. The same one she had refused to buy because it was too expensive. Lily raised her gaze to refuse the gift for it was _too_ much when she was blinded by a flash.

Paige cackled madly and kissed her cheek. "Don't even think about it," she whispered in her ear before disappearing back in the crown.

The class had all pitched in and made a huge album filled with pictures of the past twenty-eight years and copies of some of her drawings along with some stickers for her skateboard. It made everyone very teary-eyed.

Wendy stepped up, then, with another lumpy gift. It turned out to be a new wetsuit, for Lily had outgrown her old one. It was neon pink, though, and Lily didn't know whether to kill her sister or kiss her.

She settled for a tight hug and a glare.

"Me next, me next!" Henry bounced happily in front of her with a rectangular shaped present on his hands.

Lily smirked. "It's a book, isn't it?"

Henry glared at her. "Just open it."

It _was_ a book, but it wasn't a book of fairytales like she had been dreading: it was an astrology book with star maps and stories that explained the names of the constellations.

"You're always looking at the stars, so I thought it would be a good idea if you at least knew their names."

Lily hugged him hard. He didn't quite know the gift he had given her; he had given her knowledge and freedom. Now Lily could read the skies and use them as a guide.

Finn pushed Henry to the side and winked at him. "Here you go," he said handing her his present.

It was an olive brown messenger's bag, big enough to fit a big laptop. The texture reminded Lily of her raincoat and she looked up at Finn slightly puzzled.

"It's supposed to be waterproof," he explained. "But when the curse broke I went to the fairies in the coven and the made it _really_ waterproof," he grinned. "This way you can go surfing with anything you want in there and it won't get wet."

Lily was at a loss and she gaped at the boy opening and closing her mouth like a fish. Finn just snickered, patted her shoulders and went to stand next to Paige, who decided it was a good idea to shoot another picture.

Charming went next, with a carefully written card and a coupon for some horse-riding lessons. The glare on his eyes told her he wouldn't accept any excuses.

"It's time you learn, Ty," he said.

Jamie stepped up in name of the crew and gave her two boxes, one small and the other way bigger. The small box contained her feathers, the ones that had spent years braided into her hair and had become a part of her. The other box… the other box had a long cutlass with a golden knuckle-bow. It tugged at Lily's memory and she gulped.

"It was your father cutlass," Morgan Skylights explained with a whisper. "The one the Dark One stole from him."

"I bet he won't be happy when he finds out it's missing," Cecco grinned.

Lily grinned back.

Marco gave her a brand new cell phone that had Lily and the rest of the kids gushing over for the next few minutes. He said it was for the best, quite flustered at the open gratefulness of his daughter.

And then came Jim with one last present. Lily took it and unwrapped it carefully.

One of her own sketchbooks stared back at her. Her heart jumped to her throat as she caressed the cover.

"Your father let me take one a couple of weeks after you…" he trailed off and cleared his throat. "It's one of the last ones, not the last –I thought I would leave that one to Uncle Killian– but it's of out last years in Neverland."

Lily's finger's twitched and she opened it at random. Her mother's face stared back at her in black and white. There was a happy light in her eyes it had taken Lily months to get right and her hair was blowing around her in the sea breeze.

Lily's eyes filled with tears. "I had almost forgotten what she'd looked like," she whispered brokenly. "Thanks," she said looking up at Jim.

He squeezed her hand. "No problem."

.

.

"So spill," Lily looked at her friend on the other side of the table.

Paige looked up with startled eyes. "What?"

Finn and Lily shared a look with Henry. "This is an intervention," Lily said. "You _need_ to tell us why you are so down."

"It's because of your father, right?" Henry guessed. "You're looking for him."

Paige blinked surprised. "How did you-?"

"You're in the book," Henry said. "You and your father."

Finn jumped right in. "He's in the book? Then maybe we can help you look! How does he look like? What's his name?"

Paige debated with herself for a few seconds but in the end she decided to answer. "His name is Jefferson," she said. "But most people know him as the Mad Hatter."

"The _what_?"

"Wha- _What_? You didn't tell me that!"

Henry smirked at their two friends' surprise. He and Paige shared an amused look while Lily and Finn tried to find something coherent to say.

"Well, I don't get why you act so surprised," Paige said stiffly when neither of the two kids seemed able to function. "You _are_ Tiger Lily after all."

Finn chocked on his saliva. " _You're what_?" he screeched.

"Oh, right, you didn't know," Lily turned to look at him. "I'm Tiger Lily, but Ty works just fine," her eyes sparkled. "And you are…?"

"Oh!" Finn suddenly blushed. "I'm not… I'm not _that_ important. I mean… I bet I'm not even in the book."

Lily rolled her eyes. "That doesn't matter, we won't mind, you can keep sitting with us. Now we're the 'cool crowd'."

Paige and Henry snorted while Finn just shook his head. "To believe you're on books and movies…"

Lily kicked him under the table. "Hey! People just recognize my worth. And what about you? Do you have such an awful name you're ashamed of telling us?" she grinned cheekily at him.

"I'll have you know my name is perfectly nice and normal," Finn scowled at her without any real heat behind. "I'm Liam," he said. "Liam Jones."

Lily's grin froze on her face and her eyes widened. " _What_?" her voice was suddenly cold.

Finn recoiled scared. "My name is Liam?" he said and his eyes searched for Paige's and Henry's.

"You can't be…" Lily shook her head. "He would have told me. _You're lying_!" she spat with fire on her eyes.

Before any of her friends could say anything, she jumped out of her chair and stormed off into the courtyard and into the street, not minding the rain pouring down on her. Jim and Wendy stood up from their table inside the dinner, probably to follow her, but Lily just shook her head once, needing to be alone.

She started to run.

.

.

« _Graham John Humbert_

 _06/12/1980 – 15/10/2011_

 _The life of the death is placed in the memory of the living_ ».

The pale marble of the tombstone glinted wetly under the cloudy sky. The ground was still wet from the rain that had fallen on that last hour but Lily didn't mind and sat on it anyways. She was completely soaked form said rain after all.

She deposited the yellow tulips right under the quote and felt her throat starting to close up. She hadn't visited the grave since the curse broke, but with Finn –or Liam's as it seemed– revelations she had felt she needed to talk with someone.

"Hi, Uncle," her voice broke the heavy silence of the dusk. "It's been some time since our last talk, huh?"

Lily took some minutes to make sense of her thoughts. At last she sighed. "Everything is such a mess…" she rubbed her face. "I don't even know where to start. I just…I feel so lost. I don't know what I have to do anymore."

And then everything came tumbling down and Lily started to babble. She explained everything that had happened in the last few days and soon tears started pooling in her eyes at the weight of it.

"… and I just feel like I'm not sure what's real anymore… I miss you, Uncle. Even though you're not really of my own blood I've loved you for twenty eight years. You always knew what to do and I'm sure you would know now. I-I need you, we all do."

Lily felt hot air blowing on her hair and, with her heart on her throat, she turned. A huge silver-grey wolf was standing behind her, his eyes (one red as blood and the other black as night) staring deep into hers. Lily tensed and narrowed her eyes. She turned slowly so she could face him and sat on her knees.

The wolf growled low and bared its teeth. Lily rose to her full height on her knees also showing the animal her teeth. She wasn't going to be scared of a wolf, not after the days she had.

Lily and the wolf kept staring at each other for some long seconds until, suddenly, the wolf cut its growl short. It lay on the wet ground, right over the grave and started whining.

And she understood.

" _He was the Huntsman_ ," Henry had said. " _But he was a good man. He was raised by wolves and there was always one following him_."

"You're my Uncle's wolf, aren't you?" she whispered softly and then sat back on the grass next to the wolf, both of them looking at the engraved stone. "I miss him, too. You know?"

The wolf whined again and Lily realized it was crying. Carefully she put one hand on its back and, when it didn't start growling again, stroked softly.

The fur was wet and sticky. Leaves, grass and dirt were tangled up in the short hairs. Slowly, Lily started to free them and, together, wolf and girl mourned the loss of a great man.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **Alright… so… who was expecting the Finn/Liam thing? I got a little angry at the show when they squashed my theory but, well, I decided to keep it going anyways.**

 **And the wolf in the end? Well, I have to admit it was a bit of a spur of the moment. But I do wonder… what happened to the wolf on the show? It's never mentioned so I guess it went to live in the forest on his own or something.**

 **(I like my way better).**

 **So… how did you like it? Review?**

 **MW.**


	18. Family issues

**OMG THEY'RE ENGAGED! OMG! OMG! OMG! AND EMMA IS SO HAPPY! OOOOMGGG!**

 **Ehem, yeah. I just… needed to say it. I'll leave you to it now.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: Not mine.**

 **Family issues.**

"I still can't believe your parents don't let you ride your bike to school anymore!"

Paige huffed. "I know. They're crazy! What do they expect? It's not like anybody would want to kidnap me!"

"Yeah," Lily nodded. "I mean, if someone wanted to kidnap you they wouldn't have any problems doing it on your way to the bus. Or even in school."

Paige glared at her. "Not helping, Ty."

Lily just grinned at her. "Anyway, I'm glad they let you come to Granny's with me," she said. "Though it's Friday after all."

"Well, I'm glad, too. I needed a break from… everything."

Lily's face fell. "I've told you before," she said softly. "if you want my help looking for your father…. All you have to do is ask."

"I know," Paige said. "Thank you."

Lily searched into her bag for some seconds. "Will you help me afterwards? I promised my dad I would go around hanging posters of August –I mean– Pinocchio," she made a face. "Gods! That's so weird!"

Paige giggled and nodded. "Yeah. It's something to do at least."

Lily's face light up. "I can even teach you how to skate!" she pated the skateboard strapped to her bag. "I'm sure you will be better than Henry."

Paige made a face. "I don't know… I don't think my parents…"

"Oh! Forget your parents!" Lily huffed. "Live a little, P," her gaze turned serious. "I _promise_ I won't let anything happen to you, alright?"

Paige relented. "Alright," she said. "But not for long. And you're coming with me to develop the pictures I took of your party."

"Deal!" Lily grinned.

Paige stole the paper from Lily's hands and stared at her drawing of the missing man. She cocked her head to the side. "How could you remember him so well?" she asked. "You've only talked with him once."

"I've spent a lot of time trying to remember things," Lily said sadly. "And, also," she added with a mischievous smile. "He's hot."

Both girls giggled as they looked at the depiction of the man. "He _is_ hot," Paige conceded.

The bus stopped right then and the two girls followed the rest of kids who were also getting down at that stop, Lily describing Paige the huge chocolate milkshake she was planning to get.

"Do you think maybe Granny will give you free cookies? You know how-"

"Grace," a man said behind them.

Paige stopped dead on her tracks and Lily did the same. Wasn't Grace Paige's real name? Lily turned around full of curiosity.

The man was tall and, Lily had to admit, handsome. He was looking at Paige like he expected her to run away screaming and wouldn't blame her for it.

But Paige smiled really big, her whole face lightening up, and ran _towards_ the man.

"Papa!" she jumped into his arms. "You found me! I knew you would!"

The man, who had crouched so Paige could be able to hug him, sat on his knees clutching tightly his daughter against him. He looked at the sky with teary eyes and his face slightly red and for one second Lily wondered if Paige was strangling him with the tight hold she had around his neck.

Lily's heart tightened at the sweet picture. For one moment she felt really envy at her friend's fortune and Lily tried to squash it down. Paige deserved it. _Grace_ deserved it.

And her smile… she was so happy now. How could Lily want to take that away from her best friend?

Well, easy, Lily wanted her father, too.

X.x.X.x.X.x. .X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Lily stared at the flyer in her hands and her hand clenched around it. A low growl behind her made her release it with a sigh.

"I know, I know," she said. "There's no need to be like that," she glared at the wolf sitting behind her.

His ears twitched and he tilted his head. Lily could clearly read the « _really?_ » on his furry face.

"It's just that… Marco is the only father I have left now. And I can't help but wonder… what is going to happen once we find Pinocchio? I mean… he's his real son, the one he _built_. How can Wendy and I compete with _that_?" she gulped. "I know I'm probably a hypocrite because I'm still looking for my father and stuff. And I know I'm probably hurting Dad. But I…" she sighed. "I can't help it."

The wolf, who had taken to following her around since their shared moment at her uncle's grave, nudged her hip. Lily scratched him behind his ears and started to feel somewhat better.

"I'm just worried that he's going to leave us," she said in a softer voice. "And I'm worried that I won't care."

The wolf pushed with his head the flyer of August towards her. And then he stared at her with his huge eyes.

« _But that is not_ his _fault_ » he seemed to say.

"You're right, you're right," she sighed again. "Thanks, Silver."

The wolf tilted his head and his ears sprung up. He peered at her with interest at the new name.

"What?" she laughed. "It's not like nobody knows your name or you can even tell me. And I won't be calling you 'wolf' all the time. So Silver it is. What do you think, bud?"

Silver wagged his tail and Lily laughed again. "Come on, let's finish with these," she waved the poster around.

" _Do you have the time?_ " the music suddenly filled the street. " _To listen to me whine? About nothing and everything all at once?_ "

It took Lily some long moments to realize the music was coming from her pocket. Where her new cellphone was. And that song…

"Hi P!" she greeted cheerfully on the device.

"Ty! I need your help!"

Lily frowned worried. "What is it? Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything's f- no. It's not," she sounded distressed. "I may or may not have invited my Papa to have dinner with my parents and I."

Lily blinked. "What?"

Paige sighed on the other end of the line. "So you know how this evening was to reconnect with my Papa."

"The Mad Hatter, yes," Lily grinned.

"Yes," it sounded forced. "So, he was asking me when I would move to him to his mansion on the woods."

Lily's eyes widened. "He has a mansion in the woods?"

"Yes, he does. But that's not the point," Paige sighed. "Anyway, he was asking me this and I panicked. Because he is my father and everything but I also have Mom and Dad to worry about, you know? We've been together for twenty-eight years and I love them."

Lily scoffed. "Welcome to my life," she muttered. "So what did you tell him?"

"Well, I started babbling and I don't really know what I said because I was so nervous. And then I think I told him he should meet them because they were an important part of my life now and they all should get along. Or something like that."

The brunette sighed. "And how did he take it?"

"Not very well," Paige admitted. "But I got him to accept and tomorrow night we're going to have dinner together at my house. And I… Tayler I need your help."

Lily recoiled. "What? My help? For what? I don't know how to plan a dinner! I don't even know how to make the oven work."

"Not _that_ ," Paige huffed. "I just need you to be there. Act as a buffer of some sort. Help me so that the night doesn't end in complete disaster."

Lily hesitated. "P, I don't know… You should take care of this by yourself…"

The scowl was evident in Paige's voice. "Okay, then I'll call Finn and tell him you want to talk to him tomorrow night and explain why you're so angry."

"At what time did you say I have to be there?"

"That's what I thought," she said with triumph. "But you can't keep avoiding him like this, Ty. He thinks he has done something wrong."

Lily scowled at the phone and hung up.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Lily spotted Wendy's jacket sprawled over the back of the sofa and she knew her sister's was home. Their father was busy at the moment, just as he'd been the last couple of days.

The breaking of a curse meant a lot of families were broken and new ones were reunited. That mean a lot of people were moving to new houses and they wanted new furniture. The business was blooming and Marco was busier than ever.

So it was the perfect opportunity for Lily to seek some guidance from her eldest sister.

Loud rock music came out from Wendy's room and Lily rolled her eyes. Her sister may play piano and look all girly and delicate but her music collection was mainly rock or punk albums.

"Wendy!" she called. "Wendy, I need to talk with you," she opened the door.

Her sister was on her underwear, sitting astride of a mostly naked Jim whose hands had wandered under her bra. Jim was leaning against the headboard while Wendy rocked over his lap, their lips fused together.

Lily yelped and covered her eyes. "Oh gods!"

"Tayler!" Wendy screamed. "Don't you know how to knock? Oh my God!"

"Oh my gods!" Lily repeated still covering her eyes. "I so did not need to see that!"

"Hi Lils," Jim sounded amused. "How was your day?"

Lily scowled in his direction. "It has suddenly turned more awkward than I ever thought possible."

Jim laughed loudly and Lily imagined her sister bouncing on his lap because of it. She paled and shivered.

"Can you please put on some clothes?" she asked with a small voice.

Lily felt Wendy's glare on her. "Why do you always have to ruin everything? God, you know how hard it was to find a moment alone? I thought you were supposed to be at Paige's."

Luckily Lily started to hear rustling and she figured her family was getting dressed. Even if she had already seen Jim and Wendy naked multiple times there was something awkward and unsettling at seeing them almost naked together.

"I was," she said trying to fill the silence. "But things got a little heated," she said. "Jefferson and Wanda started to argue about where Grace should live and when Richard suggested they could split both of them jumped at his throat. And then it turned into a free-for-all while Grace and I were looking. And Jefferson hit Richard in the face with some mashed potatoes and then it kind of turned into a food fight while they kept shouting at each other. And Grace told them they were all acting like little kids and she stormed off to her room so I decided it was my cue to leave."

"Man," Jim laughed. "That is an interesting family dinner," he sounded amused. "You can open your eyes now."

Lily lowered carefully her hand and sighed with relief when she found her sister and her cousin fully dressed and standing apart from each other. "Thanks."

Wendy sat on the bed while Jim took the desk chair. "So why are you bothering us?" Wendy asked with a frown. "You usually go to your room. Did you know Jim was here?"

"Ughh! No!" Lily made a face. "If I had known I wouldn't even have come into the house."

Jim snickered. "Don't you want to see your dear old cousin?"

"Not like _that_!" she huffed. "Anyways," she turned towards her sister. "I needed to talk to you."

They both must have heard the seriousness on her voice because all trace of playfulness left their faces. "Do you want me to go?" Jim asked.

Lily shook her head. "No, you can stay. You can also tell me what you think."

Wendy leaned forwards with a worried frown and for one second she looked like the Lost Girl she had kidnapped back in Neverland and had become her best friend. "What's wrong, Ty?"

Lily sat on the floor in front of the bed. "Everything is such a mess," she started. "I don't know what's right anymore. And this dinner with Grace's family… it made me think."

"About what?" Wendy asked.

Lily took a deep breath. "About what will happen if…" she cleared her throat. " _When_ I find my father. I love you and Dad and I don't want to leave you, but my Papa will be alone and I can't leave him either. But I know… I know they won't get along."

"Yeah, Uncle Killian doesn't like to share," Jim nodded.

"And that's what I'm afraid of. Because I _refuse_ to choose either of them, but I'm scared that I will have to. And I know who it will be and that makes me feel guilty because it shouldn't be such an easy choice."

Jim's and Wendy's faces were understanding. "You've spent centuries with Uncle Killian, nobody can blame you for choosing him," he said.

" _I_ can," Lily muttered.

Wendy stood up and sat down next to her little sister, tugging her close. "Well, you know what you have to do, then," she said. "Make it clear when the time comes that you refuse to pick a side between either of them. That way you won't have to make a choice."

"Like it's that easy," Lily huffed.

Wendy nudged her. "It is if you make it easy."

Jim leaned on his elbows over his tights. "Besides," he added. "you have other thing to worry about now," Lily looked at him in confusion. "Liam?" he said with a huff.

Lily scowled. "Why is everybody bringing it up? _You_ talk to him; he's also _your_ family!"

"He's not my possibly half-brother and he wasn't my friend before all of this," Jim fixed his eyes on her. "Go talk to him, Lils. For once act the age you really are."

"If I acted the age I really am I should be some dust on this floor," Lily huffed.

Jim rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. Stop avoiding Liam and go talk to him. I bet he's really hurt right now and it's not like it's his fault."

"Aright," Lily sighed. "I'll talk with him first thing tomorrow."

Wendy smiled. "Perfect," she stood up. "Now, why don't you go take a long walk –a _really_ long walk– with that wolf of yours?"

Lily shuddered again, made a face and decided to exit the house before she could hear something that would leave her traumatized for the rest of her life. Even if she had heard –and seen– way worse during her years in the Jolly Roger.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"Can I get a croissant?" Lily asked the old lady behind the counter.

The lady smiled at her. "Of course. To go?"

Lily shook her head. She felt her heart beating on her throat and her stomach churning. She could do it. She could handle the truth, whatever it was.

"Here you go," the woman said. "Do you want anything else?"

 _This is your chance_. "I need to talk with Finn," she said. "I mean… _Liam_ ," she bit out the name.

Rose Green stared at her with curiosity but nodded in the end. "He's in the shower. He'll probably be down in a couple of minutes. Why don't you go sit down while you wait? Do you want something to drink."

Lily deflated a little. "Do you have orange juice?"

"Coming right up."

Lily had already finished her breakfast and was tapping her fingers on the counter and looking out of the window when her once friend and possible brother entered the shop. He stopped dead on his tracks and he and Lily looked at each other in silence for some long seconds.

"We need to talk," Lily said in the end.

"Are you going to break up with me?" Finn couldn't help but snicker.

Lily glared at him, not in the mood. "Come on," she stood up. "Let's go for walk."

They made it to the beach without saying a word and Lily breathed in deeply the salty air to calm herself. She opened her eyes and turned to the boy.

"My name," she started. ", my real name, the one I was born with, is not Tiger Lily."

"Your parents would have been very cruel if it was," Finn said with a snigger.

Lily's glare shut him up. "My real name," Lily breather in deeply. "Is Lilian Elizabeth Jones."

Finn's eyes widened. "Jo-Jo-Jones?" he stammered.

"Jones," she nodded.

Finn sat on the sand with a lost gaze. "Jones… so you think…? Isn't it a common surname?"

Lily sat next to him. "Not so much in the Enchanted Forest," she said. "And it could be just a coincidence if your first name wasn't _Liam_."

Finn scowled. "What's wrong with Liam?"

"It was my Uncle's name," she said. "Jim's father's."

Finn stiffened. As it seem he also wasn't very keen of coincidences. "And your father… Is not Marco?"

"No, he's not here. Not yet anyways. My father's name is Killian, Killian Jones."

Finn scrunched his nose. "That's my middle name."

There were coincidences and _coincidences_. And Lily was far too smart to ignore the signs.

"But that wasn't my father's name," he said. "He was with me most of my childhood until… until he died one night."

Lily recoiled. "Oh… sorry," she put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Is that why you're living with your grandmother? What about your Mum?"

"She was a healer," he said. "But she died when I was little," he added. "My father had been taking care of me on his own ever since. He was my best friend."

Lily frowned to herself. Liam Killian Jones was a name that had too much history behind, but she knew that her father wouldn't have been able to raise a child (for Finn must have been born when they were still in Neverland with not even an idea on how to get out) and, as far as Jim knew, he wasn't dead yet.

So what did that mean?

"How did your parents meet?" she asked, hoping it would shed some light on the situation.

Finn smiled. "My father had been under a sleeping curse for some time when Mom met him. She took care of him and they fell in love. Then she woke him up with True Love's Kiss and they got married."

Lily raised one eyebrow. It almost sounded like a Disney movie. "What were their names."

"Eileen and Brennan Jones," Finn said.

Lily's heart jumped. Brennan Jones. _Brennan Jones_. _Liam_ _Killian_ Jones. Her blood burned.

"That bloody bastard!" her eyes flashed.

"Wait, what?" Finn turned to look at her with wide eyes.

But Lily was too busty seething to look at him. "I can't believe it! That _fucking arsehole_! A bloody sleeping curse? Oh my gods! And he put you _their_ names? After everything? Who the hell does that?"

Finn raised his arms in an attempt to pacify her. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on. What is going on? What about my father?"

"Your _father_ ," she spat. "Was a criminal."

"What? No! He wasn't, he was a bart-"

Lily glared at him. "He was a fugitive from the law who, when he found himself too close to the noose, _sold_ his sons into slavery so he could run away with a rowboat."

"No, my Dad wouldn't do that. He was a goo-"

But Lily cut him off again. "And if that wasn't bad enough, he _left_ them there without ever checking up on them and after _centuries_ doing who-knows-what he goes and has a son. A son whom he _names_ after the kids he sold!"

Liam's eyes couldn't be wider. "No…" he whispered. "That can't be…"

"Face the facts, _Liam_ ," she spat. "My grandfather was a bloody coward who cared about no one. And he was also your father."

He shook his head. "My Dad loved me," he said. "I know he did. And I bet he regretted selling your father to slavery… he must have to," at Lily's pitting look he pressed on. "Or maybe he changed. Maybe my Mom changed him. He _was_ a nice man," he assured. "He was the best father ever."

Lily was ready to argue that people couldn't change like that when she thought of her father. She remembered how he was when her mother was alive; the free, happy sparkle in his eyes. And then he remembered all those centuries in Neverland and how the loss of Milah had affected him.

Maybe love, whether it was found or lost, could change people so much they became unrecognizable. Perhaps that was what had happened to her evil grandfather. Perhaps he had been evil but his True Love, Finn's mother, had changed him for the better.

"Wait one second!" Finn suddenly said. "Centuries?"

Lily smirked. Whatever his father had done, it wasn't Finn's fault. He was just an orphan boy, confused and lost. And also Lily's uncle. "I'm older than I look."

" _Centuries_?"

"I'll tell you one day," she promised.

Finn's eyes light up. "Does that mean we're back to being friends."

Lily smiled at her uncle. "Maybe," she said. "But I am _not_ calling you Liam."

"Fair enough," Finn nodded. "Dear niece," he added with a smirk.

Lily pushed him into the sand.

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 **They needed to have this talk. Lily does have a mouth on her, don't you think?**

 **I hope you liked it!**

 **MW.**


	19. Scaly heart

***Peers behind a makeshift shield of pillows* Heeeeey! You're still there! And it's been more than a month, huh. I'M SORRY YOU GUYS.**

 **But I think you will like this chapter.**

 **Who can guess what it's going to be about just by reading the tilte?**

 **Disclaimer: blah, blah, blah.**

 **Scaly Heart.**

"I would say «no wolves allowed» but… you know," Red grinned at the little girl sitting on the booth with the loyal silver wolf napping at her feet. "I'm not exactly the one to talk," the waitress scowled. "Anyway, shouldn't you be in school?"

Lily looked up from her old sketchbook and her eyes found Ruby's. She smiled. "Maybe," she admitted. "But since most of our teachers are gone we aren't doing much in class right now. Besides," she added. "I already know most of what they're trying to teach me."

Ruby raised one eyebrow. "Do you?"

"My father was on the Royal Navy," Lily said. "And you'd be surprised what they teach you there."

Red blinked. "You never told us that!" she accused.

Lily widened her eyes with innocence. "I didn't? Blimey! It must have slipped my mind."

"Did you just say «blimey»?"

"Perhaps," Lily grinned at her. "Can I get some pancakes?"

Ruby stared at her. "It's ten o'clock."

"What? I'm hungry!"

The werewolf rolled her eyes. "Some pancakes coming right up," she said in the end. "Don't come crying when you're not hungry for lunch."

Lily went back to her old drawings. There was even a smudged Sun Eagle scowling in the corner of one of the pages. She smiled.

A plate of pancakes landed in front of her and Lily smiled up at Red. "Thanks."

The werewolf hesitated for some seconds. "Have you ever been to Neverland?" she asked.

Lily held back a grimace and smirked instead. "How long have you been waiting to ask this?"

Ruby made a face. "Since the curse broke," she tilted her head. "But I'm still trying to figure out why you're Indian in the Peter Pan movie when you're clearly… not."

"The pixies decided I was their long lost Indian Princess destined to save them so I guess there's that," she shrugged. "But you're the one to talk," she huffed. "I doubt Little Red Riding Hood was a werewolf in the story. I would have remembered that."

Red scowled. " _So_ … Neverland?"

"Real," Lily said making a face. "Unfortunately."

Red wrinkled her nose, confused, but decided against pressing her. "Peter Pan?" she asked instead.

"Real," Lily managed to say without growling. "Although older than in the movie."

Ruby considered it. "I know Wendy is real so I'm going to ask… Tinkerbell?"

Lily smiled sadly. "Real, too."

"The Lost Boys?"

Lily groaned. "A real pain in the arse."

Ruby giggled. "Alright, that's it for now. I'll come back."

Lily's gaze was knowing. "You're going to spread the news around, right?"

Ruby winked at her. "Enjoy your pancakes," she said.

"Go back to flirting with the Ice-Tea brunette," Lily told her.

Red snorted and whipped her hair. "I wasn't flirting," she assured.

"You're giving her drinks for free."

"That's called kindness," Ruby huffed.

Lily raised one eyebrow at her and sighed with relief when she turned around and went to _not_ -flirt with the woman in the blue dress. She knew she wouldn't have been able to keep a straight face if she'd asked about Captain Hook.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

The tavern was loud and dark. The smell of alcohol and humanity was heavy in the air and Wendy wrinkled her nose disdainfully at her sister.

"I thought you would have gotten used to this," Lily commented.

Wendy sniffed. "Yeah, well, I haven't. Do they know there's something called _baths_?"

Lily sniggered. "You should have seen some of the taverns I ended up with the crew," she shook her head fondly. "Now, let's get a table, shall we?"

"I hope nobody tries to get me into bed again," Wendy shuddered and looked warily at the drunken men on the tables.

Lily grinned with fake cheerfulness. "Don't worry, I'll keep them away from you," she assured with a dangerous glint on her eyes and her hand resting on the hilt of her sword.

Wendy squeezed her arm once and stepped fully into the building. "I'll look for a table, you go get us some food."

Lily nodded once and made her way through the mass of moving bodies. By the time she got back with a young man behind her, both of them carrying some bowls of stew and a jar of ale, Wendy had already found a vacated table and was fending herself from some loud sailors.

"Oi!" Lily called setting the bowl on the table forcefully and making some of its contents spill. "Leave her alone," she scowled at them. "Or I will have to make you leave," she unsheathed her sword only a couple of inches.

The two sailors retreated back to the mocking calls of their friends. The tavern boy behind Lily eyed her with a hint of admiration before going back the way he'd come. Lily sat next to her sister, with her back against the wall and her eyes to the door, and dragged closer one of the bowls filled with stew.

"Thanks, again," Wendy said. "Although I still don't get how you manage to look so menacing when you're only four feet tall."

Lily shrugged. "It's a gift," she said.

They started eating in silence, for they were too hungry to talk, when the door of the tavern burst open and a man stepped in gleefully spreading his news.

"The Dark One has been imprisoned!" he exclaimed. "Queen Snow and King James have tricked him and now he's behind bars for the rest of his days!"

Everybody cheered; the Dark One wasn't loved anywhere. Lily's hand tightened around her spoon and she stared at the small man happily telling his tale.

The Dark One… Rumplestiltskin imprisoned at last. The murdered of his mother was where he should be. Lily's heart skipped.

It was not enough.

No, that man had to _suffer_. He had killed her mother, his wife, just because she was happy. He had cut off her father's hand. He had made her spend _centuries_ in a god-forsaken place where the devil liked to play mind tricks and his loyal followers were a band of bloodthirsty kids.

No, a mere prison wasn't enough for Rumplestiltskin sins.

He had to _pay_.

He had to _die_.

But the Dark One was immortal, as Lily regretfully knew. There was only one weapon that could kill him in all the realms.

Lily's head spun.

There was _one_ weapon that could kill him. The dagger.

And with the Dark One out of commission Lily could find it and then finish what her father had started all those years ago.

"Tiger!" Wendy elbowed her hard on the ribs.

"Auch!" Lily turned to look at the blonde girl. "Why did you do that?"

Wendy looked hard at her. "I've been calling you but you didn't answer. You were starting to scare me," she frowned. "What's going on in your head?"

Lily turned her determined eyes to the other girl. "We are going to visit a castle," she announced.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

" _Don't listen to a word I say… Hey_!" Lily sang in Silver's direction. "And I-I don't know the rest. Hey!"

"I don't think that's how the song goes!" David called across the dinner.

Lily stuck out her tongue towards the prince although her body stiffened when she saw who was walking behind him: Rumplestiltskin.

Lily gulped and her hands tightened around her sketchbook. « _Please, go away_ » she thought in Gold's direction. « _Please don't see me and walk away. I don't want to deal with this right now, so please go._ »

"By the way," David approached her happily. "Shouldn't you be in school? It seems when it's not Henry it's you. Is there someone who does go to school?"

Red appeared behind the bar. "From what she says: not the teachers."

Lily would have smirked at David's taken aback expression if it wasn't for Rumplestiltskin glaring behind him. Lily breathed in deeply and held herself from glaring right back.

"Anyways," Red cleared her throat. "What brings you here?" but her eyes flitted to Mr. Gold in an unspoken question.

"We're looking for someone," David explained. "She has disappeared."

Ruby's eyebrows raised and David nodded once. Without saying anything else he handed her a piece of paper with a, from what Lily could see, not-that-good drawing of a woman.

"I can do it better than that," she snorted.

David lips twitched but he ignored her. "Her name is Belle," he supplied.

"Belle, huh?" Red said after only a second of glancing at the drawing. "Sorry," she said handing it back and not sounding really sorry. "Doesn't… ring a bell."

Lily groaned at the pun. "That was really bad," she told the werewolf finally standing up and walking towards the group.

Red winked at her. Now that Lily could see the drawing up close she recognized the Ruby's Ice-Tea brunette. She exchanged a look with the waitress and bit her lip to hide her smile.

Sadly, David also saw the look. "Ruby, listen to me," he lowered his voice. "If you've come across her, you gotta tell me. I'll make sure nothing bad happens," he promised.

Lily almost laughed out loud at that. Ruby, also, wasn't all that convinced.

"Yeah, but what about _him_ ," she looked at Gold in the background over David's shoulders.

"I've got him," he assured. "Trust me."

Red finally relented. "She was in earlier," she said. "She was looking for a job," she added louder looking at Mr. Gold. "I pointed her in the direction of the library."

"When do you think she went there?" Gold asked, his voice strangely soft and was that _worry_?

Lily gritted her teeth together.

"Don't know. But," Ruby started walking behind the bar. "when you find her, give her this," she grabbed a grey pullover and left in on the counter. "She left it in her booth."

"That's mine," Gold declared. "She didn't have anything for the cold," he added when he saw the judgmental stares of the other two adults.

He looked at a loss for what to do and almost seemed like a kicked puppy without a master. But he still seemed quite determined to get her back.

And that was too much for Lily.

She stepped out of the protection David had unknowingly been giving her and glared at the man. "Well," she let the bitterness and hate cloud her voice. "It looks like you have learnt your lesson at last."

To Ruby's and David's surprise Rumplestiltskin also looked at the little girl with equal hatred. The prince hadn't interacted with the Dark One all that much, but he'd never seen him glare at someone with that much fire.

And Tiger Lily… gods, he hadn't even known she knew Rumplestiltskin and much less that she could hate someone that much.

"And what is that?" Mr. Gold's voice was cold and dangerous.

But Lily didn't back down. "A man unwilling to fight for what he wants," she quoted. " _deserves_ what he gets."

Rumplestiltskin was in front of her with one swift move. "And it looks like you haven't learnt yours," he towered over her with his eyes flashing. "Do not push me."

Lily stood up straight, looking up defiantly at him. "Go on," she spat. "You may not look like a crocodile anymore but that doesn't make you less of a coward."

"Don't test me," Gold slammed his hand on the counter, making the glasses clinker.

"Don't test _me_!"

David decided enough was enough. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. What's going on here?"

"Yeah," Ruby seconded him. "What the hell?"

Neither of them made sign of having even heard them.

"I should have dealt with you a long time ago," Rumplestiltskin hissed.

David saw everything spiraling out of control. "Hey! Gold!" he raised one arm protectively over Lily to stop any oncoming blows. "She's just a kid!"

Gold snorted darkly. "She's _not_ a kid."

Lily narrowed her eyes. "And whose fault is that?"

He huffed. "Don't blame _me_ for the mistakes your parents made."

Lily felt hot rage bubbling inside her, the blood pounding in her head and her vision tinted with red. Before David could even blink, she had reached to the gun strapped to his waist and trained it on the older man.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

The Dark Castle was imposing and a little threatening. But Lily refused to be scared and so she strolled through the wide corridors like she owned the place.

Wendy trailed behind her looking around. "This place is… unsettling."

"Aye, that it is," Lily nodded looking back. "Don't fall behind, we don't know what kind of traps the Dark One could have left behind. I think it will be better if we stay close."

"That's not very encouraging," Wendy called out.

Lily smirked. "It wasn't supposed to be."

They ended up in a big hall with a long table. It was a big room for a dining room where only one person ate and it made Lily frown.

"Maybe in that cabinet?" Wendy asked pointing to one of the corners.

There was a lot of rubbish in that cabinet, although they probably were priceless artifacts. But there wasn't a dagger in sight.

"Is that… a hand?" Wendy asked nauseated.

On a nearby table there was, indeed, a hand nailed to a piece of wood. Lily felt the bile rise to her throat once she realized that was _her father's hand_. The one Rumplestiltskin had cut all those years ago.

"That sick bastard," Lily muttered darkly.

"That doesn't look very sanitary," Wendy added.

Lily shook her head. "It's not here. I think maybe we can find it in his sleeping quarters. If it was me I'd hide it there."

"What are we looking for again?" the blonde asked tiredly.

"It's a dagger," Lily explained. "It's actually a kris dagger."

Wendy snorted. "Like that helps."

The youngest had to smile at that. "Its sides are wavy," she explained. "And it has Rumplestiltskin's name written on it.

"Does it fit?" Wendy wondered. "How do you even spell it? R-u-m-p-e-l-s… Nevermind."

Lily snorted. "Alright, let's go."

.

.

"I found something!"

Lily leaned over the edge of the wardrobe she had climbed up and peered down at her friend. "What is it?"

"It's a box," Wendy said holding it up to the light. "It was _inside_ one of the pillows."

The little girl slowly slid down the wardrobe and grabbed the box. "That's promising."

"But I can't open it," Wendy added. "It must have been locked with magic."

Despite her words, Lily also tried to pry the box open. It firmly resisted. She rolled her eyes: she hadn't expected less from the crocodile.

"If it was closed with magic then maybe we need magic to open it," Lily said.

Wendy frowned. "But we don't have magic."

"But the pixies do," Lily grinned. "What do you say? Do you fancy a little visit to the Dark Forest?"

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"Tiger Lily! What the hell!" David gaped at her. He didn't know what to do, too afraid that if he came closer she would shoot. "Lower the gun," he told her. "You don't want to shoot him," he said in a calm voice.

"Oh, I do," Lily's eyes shone with determination. "I've been waiting for this for a long time," she aimed the gun steadier. "Their mistakes?" she repeated slowly.

Mr. Gold laughed. "I'm the Dark One," he said. "That won't kill me."

"I know what will kill you," Lily said. "But I'm not willing to pay the price it costs. Your life is not worth that much. Besides," Lily cocked up one eyebrow. "Are you sure about that?" she asked mockingly. "Magic works different here, or so I've heard," she said. "I doubt your magic can save you if you have a hole in the middle of your brain," she adjusted her grip on the gun. "Now, do you want to test it?"

Rumplestiltskin glared at her but he didn't open his mouth so Lily guessed his answer was no.

"Good," she said. "Now I'll ask you once again," she said. "Their. Mistakes?" she enunciated slowly. "You _dare_ to call it _their_ mistakes?"

"They weren't my choices."

Lily's hands twitched. "They weren't your- You killed her!" she shouted. "She didn't die because of fate! You murdered her!"

"She deserved it!" Rumplestiltskin spat.

Lily clenched her teeth together. "No one deserves that," she said. "Except maybe you. You would deserve it a thousand times and it still wouldn't be enough."

A fireball appeared in Gold's hand and Ruby and David shouted in alarm. Lily, on the other hand, kept her cool.

"Go on," she told me. "And I will fire _you_."

David finally regained his wits. "Ty, that's enough," he said. "You can't kill him," he said. "And vengeance?" he said. "Revenge won't bring your mother's back from the death," he had guessed a lot from the conversation but from Lily's faltering he knew he had guessed right.

"It's not vengeance," she said in the end. "It's justice," and she aimed the gun again at Gold's face.

David tried again. "Do you think she would want to see you like this?" he asked. "Don't blacken your soul on this, Tiger Lily; it's not right and it's not worth it. It's never worth it."

Lily's eyes were filled with tears that she refused to spill. "You haven't changed," she told Rumplestiltskin. "You're still a coward, Dark One or not, and you will get what you deserve all on your own," her hands trembled with rage. "Why is it that everybody ends up leaving you?" she dropped the gun on the table. "Maybe you should think about that instead of terrorizing people."

Lily turned towards Ruby, who was staring at her with an open mouth and wide eyes. "Thanks for the pancakes," she told her.

And then she stormed off the dinner.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"Are you _sure_ it's the right place? Maybe we are lost."

Lily rolled her eyes. "We are not lost," she huffed. "I remember this meadow. This is where the portal opened."

"Well, it all looks the same," Wendy said looking around. "Trees and flowers and moss," she looked up. "And didn't they build their camp in the treetops? Why are we down here?"

The young pirate sighed. "Because the entrance is down here, but it's cloaked. I just need…" an arrow landed right in front of her and she jumped back, startled.

"Hey! What the hell?" she scowled looking around.

One laughing pixie with choppy brown hair appeared out of nowhere and landed in the middle of the meadow. "I'm sorry Princess Tiger Lily, but your expression of fright was very funny."

Lily scowled at him. "Sharp Falcon…" she shook her head without amusement. "I need to speak with Green Tooth," she said. "We need some magic."

Sharp Falcon grinned. "I will take you to him and entertain you while we ready the preparations for your welcome party."

Wendy raised her eyebrows. "Party?"

"The princess is back!" Sharp Falcon exclaimed. "There has to be a celebration."

"But we won't stay long," Lily promised. "Once we've get what we need we have to get going."

Wendy snorted. "That's what you said last time and we spent three weeks in a never ending party."

.

.

"I see…" Green Tooth eyed the box on the table with distaste. "You're dealing with very dark magic, Princess."

That was encouraging. "I know. But can you open it?"

Green Tooth stared at her silently for almost a minute. "I can," he said in the end. "There is powerful magic protecting this chest and what's inside, but it's no match for some pixie dust," and he wriggled his fingers.

The green dust fell from Green Tooth's hands and landed on the box which started glowing green. With a frown of concentration the pixie sprinkled some more dust over the wooden cover until it finally sprung open.

A long, silver, wavy dagger lay over the velvet clothes that cushioned the inside of the box. Lily's heart sped up and a dangerous gleam appeared on her eyes as she eyed the dagger.

It was so close… the demise of the Dark One, her mother's killer, was just some inches away.

Green Tooth snatched the dagger before her fingers could close around it. She snapped her eyes back at him with her mouth open in surprise and her gaze filled with betrayal.

"I think," Green Tooth started warily. "there's something you need to see."

He used his magic on the blade and then handed it back to the young girl, now glowing green. Lily eyed it mistrustfully but took it after a few seconds of doubt.

The moment her palm touched the handle the visions started.

 _A grail, a flame, a sword._

" _Please," a man said. "Spare him."_

 _The woman's eyes flashed. "He doesn't deserve sparing," she spat eyeing the heart in her hands._

" _If you kill him," he said. "your magic will turn dark. You'll commit atrocities that you can't even imagine."_

 _But she was angry. "This man took my home and my family. I had nothing to care for but a handful of seeds!"_

" _I'm not fighting for him! I'm fighting for you!" the man shouted. "I need you to be the woman that I know! I cannot bear to watch you become this!" she shook her head. "I know you feel you've lost everything, but, Niume, if you do this," his eyes were teary as he sighed. "then we've lost everything."_

 _But still the woman crushed the heart. And then her skin started turning a bluish gray, like stone, until her whole body looked like a statue. And then the woman picked up the sword._

" _Let's not think of cutting away anyone's magic, or immortality," and ignoring the man's pleas she slammed the sword against the edge of an altar._

 _The sword broke in two and the smallest part landed on the floor. It looked like the blade of a dagger._

 _A milky blue potion. The man, dunking the dagger in it. The blade now dripping with the name Nimue sprawled over it._

 _And then the name changed becoming a hundred more so fast it was impossible to read them all. Until it stopped. Zoso._

 _, no, Rumplestilskin when he was still human held the dagger to the light of his torch. "Zoso!" he called. "Zoso! I summon thee," he jumped backwards, dropping his torch, when once he turned he found a cloaked man behind him._

" _You were asking for me?"_

 _Rumplestiltskin held out the dagger "Submit, oh Dark One! I control you."_

 _The scene blurred for one second. Rumplestiltskin and the Dark One were much closer then, face to face._

" _So, I ask you," the Dark One spat lowly. "What would you have me to do?" he enunciated slowly._

 _Rumplestitskin debated with himself for one second. "Die!" and he stabbed the man right in the chest. They both fell to the ground, the cowardly man on top of the other._

 _Suddenly the Dark One laughed, to Rumplestiltskin confusion and then shock. "It's you. You are the beggar."_

" _Looks like you made a deal you didn't understand," the man rasped out. "I don't think you gonna do that again."_

" _You told me to kill you."_

" _My life was such a burden. You'll see. Magic always comes with a price. And now, it's yours to pay."_

" _Why me? Why me?" he asked with desperation._

" _I know how to recognize a desperate soul," he managed to say before dying._

 _The words sunk in. "No! No! Stay!" Rumplestiltskin ordered. "You have to tell me what to do! Tell me what to do!"_

 _And then his skin slowly started to turn grey; first his fingers and then the rest of his hand, sprawling upwards slowly like a disease. With trepidation Rumplestiltskin removed the dagger from the man's body._

 _Even if it was covered in blood the name «Rumplestiltskin» was still visible._

Lily gasped and dropped the dagger like it had burned her. It clanked when it fell on the table and the dark letters seemed to taunt Lily.

"Now," Green Tooth said. "Do you understand."

Lily gulped and looked away from the dagger. Her heart was heavy with the knowledge she'd gathered. She couldn't kill the Dark One because then she would become the next one and Lily didn't want that.

She wanted to avenge her mother's death. But not at that price.

"I understand," she said with her eyes full of tears.

And it killed her to do so.

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 **The song Lily was singing (well, trying to) it's called** _ **Little Talksk**_ **by Of Monsters and Men.**

 **THE CONFRONTATION! I believe a lot of people were waiting for this? I know I was. Poor Lily.**

 **And poor David who doesn't know what the hell is going on.**

 **Olly: Poor Brennan, well, and poor Liam II. I like the guy. Well, there will be a lot of shouting, I can tell you that. I guess you will see that in the next few chapters! (Or not) (Okno, you** _ **will**_ **see that).**

 **Katymint: Don't worry Katy (can I call you Katy?), Killian will appear soon, I think. I miss him hahahha.**

 **I hope you liked it and sorry for the huge delay!**

 **MW.**


	20. Shinning knight

**Disclaimer: Still not mine.**

 **Shinning Knight**

"Seriously?" Lily's eyebrows rose. "A zombie?"

Henry grinned. "Yeah!" he mused for a bit. "Well, it wasn't _exactly_ a zombie. Not like in the TV. You know, green and stuff. But it _was_ my mother's dead fiancée so…"

Finn also smiled. "That's so cool!"

"It almost killed him!" Grace scowled at the two giddy boys. "That's not cool! Ty, back me up on this."

Lily frowned. "As much as I'd like otherwise, the dead are dead for a reason and so they should stay that way," she turned to Henry. "You've now seen why. And David wants me to learn to ride a horse in that place," she muttered the last part to herself.

Grace looked almost surprised to see that Lily was agreeing with her. "What she said."

"Okay, guys," David appeared from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel. "I think it's time for you to go to sleep."

They all pouted at the same time. David's lips twitched but he tried to hold his stern façade.

"But we still have the last one to watch," Henry gestured to the DVD box of _Return of the Jedi_ on the table.

"You all know how it ends," David noted.

The four kids made noises of distress. "But we're watching them all!" Henry said.

"Yeah, we've been binge watching them all afternoon. We even started with Episode I."

Henry scowled at that. "I still believe we should have left the first Episodes until the end. It's the right way of watching them!"

Grace groaned. "Please, not this again," she looked at David with despair. "They've spent half an hour arguing which one we had to watch first."

David was too amused to cut their fun short. "Okay, you can watch this last one," he looked at the clock on the kitchen wall. "But don't tell your parents, alright? They'll kill me."

And he sat with them to watch the movie because in the tiny TV because, after all, it was Star Wars. And Prince Charming may not have known what on earth a movie was, but David Nolan was a huge geek on the inside.

.

.

Lily tried not to make any noise as she opened the fridge and poured some cool water on her glass. The only lights came from the streetlight on the outside, but it was enough for her.

David had been the first one to fall asleep, only a few minutes into the movie. They hadn't even rescued Han Solo yet!

Paige, who in the end didn't really care for Star Wars, was next, and then Finn followed her not long after. Henry even made it until Luke tells Leia she's his sister, or sometime around that, before also falling asleep.

But Lily couldn't blame them. It was, after all, well past two in the morning by the time the credits started rolling. But she refused to go to sleep. The nightmares clouded her dreams each night, without fault, and Lily didn't fancy another repeat or her mother's death or her father's abandonment or her own sins.

She had enough with her walking moments.

"Are you planning on sleeping anytime soon?" David's sudden voice on the silent house made her jump and almost drop the glass she was bringing to her lips.

"You almost gave me a heart attack!" she accused turning to glare at the man.

David's smile was sheepish. "Sorry. It's just… It's late," he said. "And it doesn't seem like you even have tried to sleep," he added with a hint of reproach on his voice.

Lily looked over the kitchen counter. They had pushed the big table against one of the walls and three mattresses were on the floor with Grace, Finn and Henry sleeping heavily on them. Behind the mattress was the loveseat where David had fallen asleep and the armchair full of jackets and schoolbags. Right in front of the mattresses was the coffee table where they had set the tiny Blanchard TV and where most of the wrapping papers of their different sweets had ended up.

The three sleeping kids had a blanket each, and they were comfortably wrapped around them. Lily's, though, was still perfectly folded and clearly unused on the edge of the left mattress, next to Grace.

"I'm not tired," she lied.

David eyed the circles beneath Lily's eyes with skepticism. He opened his mouth, probably to berate her, when Henry awoke screaming.

"Whoa, Henry! It's alright!"

"You're okay, you're okay," David whispered to the boy. "You're alright."

Henry sat up and looked at Lily and David, who loomed over him. "I just had the worst nightmare," Henry said.

"It's over now," David told him. "It was just a dream."

Henry breathed in deeply to calm himself. "Okay."

"Okay? Here," David went back to the kitchen and rummaged for some moments while Henry and Lily exchanged a confused glance. "Look, here you go," he came back with a candle and set it next to the TV. "It was something my mother used to do," he said lighting the wick. "to keep the nightmares away," and he looked at Lily when he said that.

"A candle?" Henry asked.

Lily just nodded at David in acknowledgment and his lips curled into a soft smile. "Now, do you want to tell me about it?"

After Henry explained his dream about a burning room, David soothed him once more. Then he looked at both of them and at the still sleeping Finn and Paige with amusement.

"They could sleep through an earthquake," Lily told him.

David softly shook his head. "Maybe one of you should go back to the bed?" he pointed at the big bed behind him with his thumb. "You'll be more comfortable there."

Lily huffed. "You're missing the whole point of a sleepover."

"I thought the point of a sleepover was to sleep," David said challengingly.

"Touché."

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"Faster, Jim! Go faster!"

Lily cackled as Jim sped up and, seeing that she was holding onto the seat of his bike, dragged her behind. The girl hooted and threw her head back.

"Yeah, baby!"

Jim grinned. "Hold on tight," he warned. "Let's hit it up!"

Main Street was thankfully empty of cars as both cousins barreled by at top speed. The few pedestrian walking by stopped to stare at them with amusement and some of them, like Ruby cleaning the outside tables or Belle just opening the library, waved happily at them.

"Woo-hoo! This is what I was talking about!" Lily beamed at her cousin's back.

They were passing by Storybrook's Centennial Park when they saw David and Henry practicing with wooden swords and Jim slowed down.

"Having fun, I see," David beamed at them.

Lily grinned back. "Yeah. Just got out of my session with Archie and Jim was trying to cheer me up."

Henry frowned at her. "Archie? You're still seeing him?"

Lily kicked her skateboard and it flew into her hands. "There's a lot of stuff in my past I need to deal with," she said walking towards them. "And I didn't realize that before, but when I went, well, Tayler did, to the sessions they helped me. And, well… after Gold I thought it would be a good idea to go back."

"Well, I'm proud of you," David told her with a smile. He, after all, had been there when she had confronted the Dark One.

Jim, who had dropped his bike on the floor, looked at the swords curiously. "Are you practicing?" he asked.

"He's teaching me how to swordfight," Henry declared proudly.

Lily and Jim shared a fond look. "This brings back so many memories," he said.

Henry's face light up. "You know how to?" But he was staring mostly at Lily.

She faked modesty. "I know how to handle myself."

Jim snorted.

"Are you any good?" Henry wondered.

"She's the best," Jim said. "I bet we could teach you a thing or two," and he grinned at David. "How do you feel about a little duel?"

David stood up at the challenge. "You think you can beat me?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm not the one who's going to try," he beamed. "I believe you owe my cousin a duel."

David looked at the young girl uncertainly but Jim's smirk made him set his features with determination. "Okay," he said. "It's on."

Lily smiled like her cousin, also feeling the excitement. "It's about bloody time."

"You think she can beat him?" Henry asked Jim as they sat on the grass, watching the two swordsmen readying for the fight.

"Do you want to bet?" Jim smirked at the boy. "Ten dollars?"

Henry held out his hand. "Deal," he said when Jim shook it.

The older boy sniggered to himself. "Oh, this is going to be a slaughter."

.

.

David had fought with a lot of people since the day he had to slay a dragon. And he had found himself a natural with the sword, or at least Sir Richard, the knight who had been in charge of his training, had told him so.

And yet he found himself struggling with a mock duel with and eleven year old. Tiger Lily was very fast and she was never in the same place for more than one second. She danced around him with her sword deflecting each one of his blows with ease.

At first he had gone easy on her, she was just a kid after all. But then she had just evaded his blows without even raising her sword and with a smirk on her face. It had tugged on his manly pride and he had stepped up his game.

"Now that's more like it," she had said confidently.

But even when David was doing his best, Tiger Lily parried each of his blows and attacked with more of her own. In no time they were both sweating and out of breath without a clear clue of who would be the winner.

"Quit playing with him, Lils!" Jim shouted from the sidelines where he was sitting with Henry.

Tiger Lily rolled her eyes and then started to smile. David deflected her blow but felt a bad feeling starting in the pit of his stomach.

"Why are you smiling?" he demanded.

"Because I know something you don't know."

The words sounded strangely familiar. "What's that?" he panted.

Tiger Lily backed away and threw her sword up, catching it with her right hand. "I am not left-handed," she said.

David gaped at her and almost dropped his own sword. " _What_?"

He could hear Jim's laughs and Henry's shouts encouraging him and it made him get back into the fight. Which was a good thing because Tiger Lily was coming back at him with the wooden sword held high.

The little girl started a series of complicated maneuvers that had him struggling to deflect. Far too soon she sent his sword flying through the park with one quick move he had never seen before.

Henry ran towards them, his eyes wide. "That was _awesome_!" he was bouncing from excitement. "Oh my god! The last move you did right there? Holy cow! You _have_ to teach me that."

"Hey!" David pouted at his grandson. "I thought _I_ was the one teaching you."

Henry looked at him with guilt in his face. "I'm sorry, Grandpa… But did you see that?" he was back to being excited.

Tiger Lily was laughing happily at she stared at them. "That was a very complicated move," she told Henry. "It took me _years_ to learn it. I'll teach you when you know something about swordplay."

"And to believe I've spent years avoiding the promised duel because I was afraid I would hurt you," David shook his head. "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

Jim draped his arms across her shoulders. "My uncle taught her. He taught me too, but she was always better than me. Now," he ruffled Tiger Lily's hair. "We have to get going. I promised this one I'd teach her how to windsurf and we don't want to waste more daylight."

"I should probably go check on the dwarves down the mines," David said. "Do you want to come with me?" he asked Henry.

"Duh!"

David laughed. "Okay, okay," he nodded at Tiger Lily. "That was fun," he said. "We should do it again."

She beamed. "I'm counting on it."

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Lily dropped her head on her father's shoulder, her eyelids closing tiredly. She tried to hold back a yawn but it escaped anyways.

"You should go to sleep," he said. "You have class tomorrow."

Lily scoffed at the reminder of school and the few teachers that remained and tried to teach her things she already knew. "I'm over two hundred years old," she huffed. "I don't get why I have to go to school."

"Because you still look like an eleven-year-old," Marco reminded her. "And you need to do something with your time. Otherwise you would spend all your days in the sea."

Lily grinned. "And would that be so bad?"

Red ran past their house once again, Silver quick on her heels. Lily's smile turned softer as she stared at the two wolves.

"I'm glad it all turned out alright," she told her father.

Marco smiled. "Me too. Granny was so worried."

"Uuhhh _Granny_ ," Lily moved her eyebrows suggestively. "Hasn't she told you to call her for her real name?" she paused. "What _is_ her real name?"

Marco hesitated for a few seconds but relented in the end. "Beverly."

"Beverly, huh? Do you call her Babe?"

Marco made a face. "Please, shut up."

Lily snickered. "Red!" she called. "Red!"

The wolf came bouncing towards them with a wolfish grin. Lily had spent enough time around Silver to recognize some of the expressions on her face and she could see Red's curiosity.

"We're going to be _sisters_!" she squealed and Marco groaned next to her. "Marco and Granny are in loooove," she sang. "Wait… no! I'm going to be your _aunt_?"

"We're just friends," Marco denied.

Even Red's face was skeptic.

"He calls her Babe," Lily mock whispered.

"I do not!"

And even if it was well past midnight and Lily was so tired she felt her head in a cloud and she hadn't slept in the past few days (or even weeks) she still felt herself laughing and smiling under the full moon with the Huntsman's Wolf, werewolf Little Red Riding Hood and her father, Geppetto.

As Tayler she couldn't help but be amazed by the way her life had turned out, so weird she couldn't ever have even dreamt it. But as Lily, as Tiger Lily, she felt like it was the most normal thing in the world.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

" _And I'm always a gentleman._ "

Hook opened the bottle with his mouth and then spit out the cork. His hook around her wrist tugged her hand closer to his chest and then poured some of the liquid into her hand.

Emma wasn't expecting it to sting. "What the hell is that?" she asked and then blew on her wound to relieve the burn.

"It's rum," he answered lightly. "A bloody waste of it," he added.

He contemplated the cut hand and seemed to consider it needed a bandage. Without releasing her wrist he grabbed his scarf and started wrapping it around her hand.

"Here's the plan," he said and Emma's eyes flittered on his face for a second before settling back to his movements over her wound. "We wait for the giant to fall asleep. When he does, we'll sneak past him into his cave. It's where the treasures are, where the compass lies."

Emma had been wondering how he would tie up the makeshift bandage seeing that he only had one hand. Hook surprised her once again by lowering his head and wrapping his lips around the cloth and tugging with his teeth.

Her hear _did not_ flutter. But God, those lips…

"And then?" Emma asked trying to get her head back on track.

His eyes were burning on hers and Emma had the suspicion he knew _exactly_ what was going on in her head with his little trick. "Then we run like hell."

"I don't have time for a giant to fall asleep," Emma said tiredly. "The powder Mulan gave us...we need to use it. We gotta knock him out."

Hook looked around. "Well, that's riskier," he noted.

"Than waiting for a giant to fall asleep when we need him to?" Emma let the skepticism cloud her voice.

"Point taken," Hook smiled.

Emma wasn't expecting him to concede so easily and she blinked at him, surprised. Which only made him smirk even more.

"Ooh, you're a tough lass," he said and reached into the satchel without taking his eyes off of her. "You'd make a hell of a pirate," he handed her the powder.

Emma's gaze fell to his arm and the two tattoos sprawled in there. One was a heart with the name Milah written over it and a strange wavy dagger going through it. Just above the heart, half hidden by the dark sleeve, was a white flower with big, wide petals stained with orange.

She wanted to erase the smirk on his face. "Who's Milah on the tattoo?"

His face fell and he averted his eyes. "Someone from long ago."

His tone said he didn't want to keep the conversation going. But Emma had never been very good at listening. "Where is she?"

He started to walk towards the Giant's castle. "She's gone."

"Gold," realization hit her and she turned to look at him. "Rumplestiltskin," she saw him nod to himself. "He took more than your hand from you, didn't he?" that made him spin around to face her. "That's why you want to kill him," she stated.

"For someone who's never been in love, you're quite perceptive, aren't you?"

Emma suddenly felt strangely vulnerable looking at his eyes. "Maybe I was, once."

Hook stared at her long and hard. "He was an idiot for leaving you, Swan." he told her.

"How did you-?" her eyes were wide and she mentally kicked herself for revealing too much.

And the smirk was back. "I've told you before, love," he walked, no, he _strutted_ towards her and leaned in, invading her personal space. "You're an open book."

That made her angry with him once again and she narrowed her eyes. She looked down at his arm but the sleeve was covering it once again. But she knew what was there.

Emma looked him in the eye defiantly. "What about the flower?"

His whole face hardened and Emma expected him to walk away in silence. But he surprised her once again.

"That's for my daughter," he said.

Emma's eyes widened in surprise: Captain Hook had a _daughter_? She was about to ask him where she was when she saw the pure agony behind the pirate's eyes. Her heart broke a little for him; she had felt the loss of a kid once, when Henry ate Regina's fucking turnover, but he had awaken not a day later.

But this guy… this guy had the look of someone who had lost hope so long ago revenge was the only thing that kept him going. And Emma understood him a little more because she knew what that could be like.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"So am I," he said.

He was a kindred spirit. Someone who could see through her because he had _been_ her. And Emma couldn't allow that.

So that's why she left him tied up next to an angry giant.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **It's kind of a filling chapter, but Hook/Killian is here. And we're getting closer to the reunion, wohooo!**

 **I hope you liked it!**

 **MW.**


	21. Looking for home

**I'm like… just gonna leave this here and run away before you all can start yelling at me for taking too long.**

 **Looking for home.**

"Somebody asked for some Granny's specials?" Lily shook the bag.

David was the one to come from the backroom of Gold's shop with a relieved smile on his face. "Tiger Lily! What are you doing here?"

Lily raised the brown bags full of food. "I was there having lunch with my Dad when you called Granny with your order. Since they were flirting really gross I thought I would come by and see how you were doing."

"Not that good," David made a face. "Do you know about Henry's nightmares, right? It turns out he can talk to Princess Aurora-"

"The Sleeping Beauty?"

David smiled. "I guess so. Anyway, they're communicating, but it's a risk for Henry's life since the room full of flames, well, it burns him in reality, too. And I _know_ Snow is the one who's going into the room next. I know she will find a way and she will be waiting for Henry. Though we can't send Henry because it's too dang-"

Lily cut his rambling with a sharp motion of her hand. "So you're going instead? Can you do that?"

"Regina and Henry are making a sleeping curse on the backroom," David explained. "And Mr. Gold is out with Belle, I believe."

Lily's whole stance relaxed, even though she hadn't noticed until now she had been so guarded. "Good. So how can I help?"

"You've done enough. Is that grilled cheese I smell?"

Lily grinned. "Maybe? Granny thought Henry would like it better than her special."

.

.

"I see you made the most of our precious little time by littering my shop."

Lily almost jumped out the stool she had claimed in the backroom. Gold's eyes found her and his eyes flashed for a second. David saw that and nonchalantly crossed the room to stand between them.

"We were hungry," David said. "And, after all, you decided to go on a _date_."

"A date Our Majesty here gleefully interrupted some days ago," Rumplestiltskin noted. "Now, is it finished?"

Regina squeezed Henry's shoulder. "It is."

Lily eyed David's back with worry. "Are you sure you want to do this? I'm still not sure you going under the sleeping curse is the best idea ever."

David turned around. "You're right," he said with a smirk. "Maybe we should put _you_ under it. That way you would get some sleep."

Lily huffed and glared at him. "You know what? I've changed my mind. Go eat your apple or whatever."

"Actually," Gold spoke up making all the eyes turn towards him. "We're going to have to do this the old-fashioned way."

The Prince's gaze became wary. "What do you mean 'the old fashioned way'?"

"You are about to join a quite distinguished club, Mr. Nolan. Before such innovations as the apple-"

Lily scoffed. "Hasn't the apple been there since the beginning of time? Or at least for a very long time?"

The Dark One ignored her. "-back when the Sleeping Curse first came to be, a more direct method was required: through blood," he showed them the long, thick needle on his hand. "By pricking one's finger on the needle of a spinning wheel, one falls under the spell."

Lily wondered to herself why such precision, wouldn't it work with the needle but without the spinning wheel? What difference did it make?

"Your Majesty," Gold turned towards Regina. "you did his wife. I'm sure you'd like the honor."

Lily snorted at the unintended innuendo. The adults glared at her while Henry just stared in confusion.

"I think I better go," she said. "I have a date with a certain cricket that I don't want to miss," she turned to look at Regina and bowed mockingly. "Your Majesty," her eyes fell on Rumplestiltskin, who was already looking at her with hatred. "Crocodile," she nodded at him.

Regina's eyes widened infinitesimally and she looked at Lily like she'd never seen her before. Surprise flickered in her eyes and she nodded to herself, it made sense.

Lily beamed at Henry. "See you later. We can get some ice cream?"

Henry grinned back. "Yeah, it'd be cool."

She saluted at David and turned towards the door. Before she could start walking he grabbed her shoulder, a soft, pleading expression on his face.

"Hey… If anything goes wrong can you…" his eyes flitted to Henry.

"Don't worry," Lily smiled softly. "I'll take care of him," her face turned grave. "Just don't let anything go wrong."

He squeezed her shoulder once. "I' won't," he promised.

.

.

"So much for nothing going wrong."

Henry looked up from the storybook he was reading to his asleep grandfather. "Ty…"

Lily handed him the cup of ice cream she had picked up from him. Regina had called her after she left her session with Archie (Lily had been really shocked when the unknown number turned out to be the Queen) and explained her the situation. She suggested she brought some ice cream to cheer Henry up. And Lily had complied.

"Your mum told me you might need some cheering up," she said sitting down beside him. "Where is she by the way?"

"She and Mr. Gold have gone to make sure the portal and everything goes okay," he said.

"They'll fix this," Lily assured him. "They have to. Now," she grabbed a pack of cards from her pocked. "do you know how to play poker?"

"No…?"

"Do you want to learn?"

.

.

They were on their second game when Ruby burst into the room.

"Where are they?" Red demanded. "Regina and Gold?"

Henry shared a confused look with Lily as the dwarves piled in behind the werewolf. "What's going on?"

"All the magic has been drained from the mines," Ruby was furious.

Henry furrowed his brows. "They stole it?"

"They snuck in after our shift and took everything," Grumpy declared. "Nobody steals from a dwarf!" he exclaimed angrily.

Lily snorted. "I had a bet with Snow to see who could steal from you without noticing."

"We noticed," Doc said.

Lily winked at him. "Not always."

But Henry wasn't listening to them. "If they're not helping Emma and Mary Margaret, that… that means my mom lied to me," he lowered his gaze.

Red kneeled in front of him, draping her hand over the armrest. "I'm sorry, Henry," she told him sincerely.

"We need to find her," the kid said. "We need to stop them. We need to help Emma and Mary Margaret."

Grumpy, unsurprisingly, scowled. "Yeah, but _where_ are they? We thought they would be here."

Lily looked at Red, still kneeling in front of the armchair. "Can you track them?" she asked her. "There's lot of things from Gold here."

She made a face. "They could have used magic to poof anywhere. I can't sniff the whole town."

Lily smiled. "Don't worry. I know of someone who can help you."

Grabbing one of Rumplestilskin's best shirts, she ran out of the door towards her home. She knew Silver was probably sleeping in her bed and she was in need of his help.

And if her wolf destroyed the shirt while he was tracking, well, shame.

.

.

She was around Regina's mansion, seeing if Silver caught something, when her phone rang. _Unknown number_.

Not that Lily had that many saved, but, still…

"Hello?"

"Ty!"

She blinked. "Henry? Since when do you have a phone?"

"It's not mine," he said. "It's Emma's."

It took a few seconds for the statement to set in. "Wait! Does that mean…?"

"Yeah. My mom stopped the magic in time and they got through the well safely."

She frowned. "Well? What well? And what magic?"

Henry just laughed happily. "I'll tell you tomorrow," he said. "There's a party at Granny's tomorrow night. Will you come?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," she assured. "Dad and Wendy will come too. And I'll call Grace to tell her."

"And Finn?"

She huffed. "I wouldn't leave him out!"

"I don't know. You seemed pretty angry at him some weeks ago."

"We've made up!" she argued. "We watched _Star Wars_ together, remember?"

Henry hummed, not at all convinced.

"I'll go tell Finn, too," she told him. "Now go reunite with your family," and she hung up before she could say anything else.

Lily eyed the phone and quickly went to her contacts list.

"Hey, P! What are you doing tomorrow night?"

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"Uuuh! Lasagna!" Lily bounced to the counter. "Smells good. Can I have some?"

Regina seemed surprised by her sudden appearance. "You don't think it's poisoned?" and her eyes flittered to Grumpy, who was dissecting his piece with a knife.

"Nah!" Lily beamed. "You're not stupid. Besides, I have immunity to most poisons."

Finn and Grace, who were behind her, and Henry on the counter, gaped at her. "You do?" Finn asked. "How?"

"I've been taking small doses of poison through the years to make myself immune," she explained. "What? Neverland is a very dangerous place, alright?"

"Your father was always a careful man," Regina said off-handedly.

Lily lost her grip on her fork. "You knew my father? Do you know where he is?"

"We had some deals long ago, but I haven't seen him since years before the curse."

"How did you even know who my father is?"

The Queen raised an unamused eyebrow. "Rumplestiltskin is the crocodile? It was all too easy to fit the pieces together."

"I thought Marco was your real father," said Grace.

Henry was still staring at her. "But you poisoned yourself?!" he was asking the important questions.

Emma appeared behind her kid with her mother by her side. "Who poisoned whom?"

"Tayler poisoned herself so she could be immune," Grace explained.

The two women sputtered. "Why would you do _that_?"

Lily made a face. "Safety?" she suggested. "Anyway, how was the Enchanted Forest?"

Emma grimaced. "Awful."

"It wasn't so bad!" Snow argued.

"Two words," Emma said. "No showers."

The kids all made a disgusted face. Snow, on the other hand, looked amused. "But you've grown up without showers."

"Yeah, but…" Grace struggled. "Now that we know they exist…"

Emma seemed pretty happy they agreed with her. "And there were also ogres-"

"Oh! Awful things. Pretty scary, too," Lily nodded.

"-and Cora had some zombies following us. _That_ was scary."

Finn leaned in, interested. "Zombies like real zombies? With 'braaaaains' and everything?"

The Sheriff looked at him, amused and disturbed. Snow answered for her. "No, they were people that Cora had killed and taken their hearts," she glanced at Regina surreptitiously. "So they looked, you know, like normal people. With holes on their chests."

"I once met some zombies in another realm," Lily commented. "Though, admittedly, people told us not to go that far north. Bloody white walkers almost took half of our crew."

Emma looked at Lily with wide eyes, then she narrowed them and shook her head. "Nope," she said to herself. "I don't even want to know," and she left muttering to herself about fucking Game of Thrones being fucking real too.

Snow didn't even have time to scold her for her language for she was already chatting happily with Red.

Henry laughed. "I think you broke her."

Finn rested on his elbows. "So…" he started looking far more interested. "White walkers?"

Lily let out a mix between a snort and a huff. "Last time I try to help someone called Stark."

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

"This is so weird," Wendy muttered shaking her head.

Lily looked up from the notes she was tiding up. "What?"

"You're good at Math now," she said. "You're good at _advanced_ Math. You could do my homework if you wanted to."

Lily winked at her. "But I don't want to. Besides, today was the last day of school," she beamed. "We don't have homework anymore!"

Wendy rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean. It's just…"

"I'm over two centuries old," Lily reminded her. "I know a lot of things."

Wendy pursed her lips. " _I_ 'm over two centuries old, too and I don't know all that stuff."

Lily's gaze turned pitying. "You spent most of that time locked up in a cage," she said. "I had –have– a father who was in the Navy. It's not the same."

Speaking of fathers… their other one entered the kitchen at that same moment, his face strangely numb. It made dread pool on Lily's stomach.

"Dad," she called. "Dad, is something wrong?"

Her father took a deep, bracing breath. "Archie's dead," he announced.

Lily dropped her pen. "Wha-what?"

" _How_?"

"Regina killed him yesterday night," he explained. "I…" his face crumbled.

Wendy jumped to her feet and helped him sit on a chair. "He can't be… he's really dead?"

Lily felt her heart tightening in her chest. Archie had been an old family friend since the beginning of the curse. He was like family. The news of his death…

She dropped her head on her hands and breathed in deep.

.

.

The funeral wasn't a very crowded affair, not like Uncle Graham's had been. The dwarves were there, and Snow, David, Emma and Henry with Pongo. Granny looked at the coffin stoically and Ruby hid her teary eyes behind huge sunglasses. Even Blue had attended looking quite sad as did Belle, Rumplestiltskin's paramour.

Lily hadn't even known Belle and Archie were friends, but the woman looked quite heartbroken.

Grace had asked her if she wanted her to come but Lily had told her it wasn't necessary. Archie wouldn't have wanted that many people to mourn him.

Snow gave a speech while they all crowded around the coffin and Lily struggled to breathe, her hand clasping her father's. The queen's speech ended abruptly with her turning to hug her husband and everybody started embracing each other.

Marco broke away from her grasp to go stand next to the tombstone. There he put Archie's iconic umbrella and Lily had to turn away from the scene because it was just _too much_.

Wendy hugged her far more tightly than it was needed, but Lily thanked it just the same. Her sister took in a ragged breath and kissed the crown of her head.

"It will be alright," whispered Wendy. "It will be fine, okay?"

Lily nodded but kept her arms clasped around the other girl. "Since we're here," her voice came out muffled for she was speaking against Wendy's coat. "Can we go see Uncle Graham?"

Wendy sniffled. "Yes, we can."

"Thanks, Obama."

Wendy cuffed her on the head.

.

.

Lily's eyes flew back to Henry, broodingly looking at the window from Snow's bed. She sighed and her eyes caught Emma's.

"I don't know what to do," the woman whispered once she was by her side. "He won't talk, or eat or anything."

She made a face. "Give him a couple of days," Lily told her. "Right now it's too soon. He's still trying to wrap his mind around it. I know _I_ am."

"But you're taking it better than he is."

"I've lost a lot of people in my life," she said. "I know how to deal with the pain. Henry on the other hand…" she smiled sadly. "Archie was his first friend, before me or Finn or Grace. The first one who cared. It will take him some time to come to terms with everything. All we can do right now is show him he's not alone."

Emma eyed her, impressed. "Sometimes you don't talk like a ten year old."

Lily's eyes twinkled. "First of all, I should be eleven, if anything. You missed my birthday while you were in the Enchanted Forest," her sad smile told her she didn't blame them. "And secondly," she leaned in, lowering her voice as if she was going to tell her the biggest secret ever. "I'm older than I look."

The Sheriff made a face. "Right, the curse," she grimaced. "You're technically older than me."

Lily debated telling her she was technically the oldest person in the room, aside from Wendy. She winked at her instead. "Technically you're the second youngest person here. How does that make you feel?"

Emma looked at her and then at Wendy, the ones who seemed the youngest. "Maybe I should start buying anti-aging creams."

Lily snorted. Snow walked towards them and squeezed her daughter's arm. "I don't know what you two are talking about but keep it up," she said. "It's nice to see some sort of happiness today."

"Henry's not taking it well," Emma told Snow.

"You're doing all you can do," her eyes were sad.

Emma crossed her arms. "That's what makes me feel awful."

Snow's retort was cut short by Leroy. "Ladies," he approached slowly. "The dwarves have been thinking. We have to ask," he took a steadying breath. "When do we go back?"

"Back where?" Emma bit out.

"The Enchanted Forest," the dwarf articulated. "Our home."

Even Snow seemed surprised. "You want to go back?"

"We fought really hard to get here," Emma added.

Grumpy let out a laugh conceding her the point. "But with what Regina did to Archie," he pressed on. "Storybrooke ain't as safe as we thought."

Lily blinked. "And what makes you think the Enchanted Forest is any better," she furrowed her brows. "Cora's there and the ogres are back."

"And we're going to find Regina," Emma assured. "There's only so many places she can hide."

Snow was with her daughter. "We've dealt with her before, we'll do it again."

"But it's not just her," Leroy said. "The curse is broken. There's a whole world full of people beyond the town line that don't know who or what we are. Ever think of what might happen if one of them were to come pay us a visit?"

"Well, technically they do know who we are," Lily muttered. "Though they may not exactly believe us."

Marco glared warningly at her. She closed her mouth.

"He's right," Ruby said. "What if they see, you know, magic? Like a girl turning into a wolf, for example. Folks weren't exactly understanding back in our world."

"Okay, let's not worry about what-ifs," Emma gestured. "No one is here."

Grumpy wasn't about to leave it like that. "Yet," he noted. "Maybe they come, maybe they don't," he had his arms crossed in defiance. "But that doesn't change the fact that while we might enjoy things like penicillin, we're a bit homesick."

"I'm sure you'll feel homesick of Storybrooke when an ogre smashes you to pieces," Lily said. "The thing is," she raised her voice. "We all lived in a castle. We didn't have to work, the wars were over, we had easy access to food…" she let her gaze travel to the disgruntled mourners. "But a lot of people had it hard. Most of Storybrooke's habitants struggled to survive. And you want to ask them to go back?" her eyebrows climbed on their own accord.

"We don't…" Grumpy started to say.

But she cut him off. "Exactly," she said harshly. "You don't know. I travelled the Enchanted Forest when everything was good. And sure, people were content but there's a reason why the mortality rate is much lower here. And you want to send people back to die because you're _homesick_?"

Lily pressed her lips together feeling their gazes on her and huffed. Clenching her fists she swallowed back the poisoned words trying to leave her mouth.

"I'm going to the beach," she announced, mainly to her father, before turning on her heel and marching towards the door.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **So Archie is "dead"… you know what that means, right?**

 **YEES! Killian is close! Now they just have to find each other.**

 **How are you liking the new Season?**

 **MW.**


	22. Salt on your cheeks

**Salt on your cheeks.**

The sea was rough enough to form waves Lily could take. It made her heart speed up and her head spin as she breathed in the smell of salty water.

The smell of home.

It helped her calm down and clear her head, organize her thoughts. She knew she shouldn't have lashed out at Grumpy and the dwarves, but it was _them_ who had brought up the topic at Archie's _wake_.

"What do you think of my anger issues now, Dad?" she spat at nothing.

Lily sighed and stopped moving deeper into the waters. Instead, she sat astride her surfboard and rubbed her face with wet hands. With her legs she spun the board around so it was facing the shore.

And then her eyes caught the shape of someone trudging through the sand and looking around with interest.

Lily wondered what business Belle had on the beach on a day like that.

She flattened herself to the board and let the next wave take her with it.

"What is a girl like you doing on a place like this?"

The woman stopped her march, startled. "What?"

Lily dragged her surfboard through the sand. "It's a pick-up line. Never mind," she quickly added seeing her confusion. "What brings you here?"

"I was just… walking," she said convincingly.

The girl merely raised one eyebrow. "Right."

Belle sighed. "I'm looking for something. A ship."

Lily cocked her head. "Have you tried the harbor?"

"I don't know where it is," Belle's smile was somewhat sheepish.

She grinned back. "Come on!" she said. "I'll take you," and she grabbed her waterproof bag, slinging it over her shoulder. "Does the cro- Rumplestiltskin know that you're here?" she asked as she started to walk, Belle quickly matching her steps.

"No," a shadow crossed her face. "Not exactly."

"Ahhh," a sly smirk took over Lily's lips. "So you're rebelling? Good."

Belle frowned. "No! I'm not rebelling! It's just that… he doesn't believe I can take care of myself."

"So you'll prove him wrong," she raised her hand up. "Girl power!"

The woman eyed the hand bemused. "What are you doing?"

"It's a high-five," Lily explained. "For victory and things like that. You just… you know, slap it…" and she high-fived herself in demonstration.

Still unsure Belle joined their hands together in a soft slap. Lily snorted and lowered her arm.

"That was pathetic," she told her. "But don't worry, I'll teach you."

.

.

The harbor wasn't that far away. There weren't a lot of boats, just Leroy's and a couple of fisherman's yet Belle walked to the empty dock looking at both sides. Lily followed her, curiously.

"Mhm…" she made a show of looking around. "I don't think there are any ships here."

Belle looked at her unamused. "I can see that," she sighed with defeat. "I just thought…"

Lily frowned, hearing the familiar groaning of woods in the water. "There's a ship here," she announced.

Belle eyed her with surprise and some amusement. "Well, that was a quick change of heart."

She rolled her eyes. "I can hear it," she said. "I've spent most of my life on a ship; I'd recognize that noise anywhere."

The woman seemed confused for some seconds until she finally also heard the telling creaks. She looked around, trying to find something that told her where it was when her eyes landed on the seagulls flying overheard. Her mouth opened with surprise when one of them landed on seemingly nothing.

"Look. It seems we've found it."

Lily glanced at the birds. "It must be a pretty big ship," she said awed.

Belle turned around and grabbed some sand from the wooden container and threw it towards the direction of the ship. The sand landed over some invisible stairs, making them somewhat visible.

"Cool," Lily smiled at her companion.

Belle smiled back. She started carefully going up the stairs until she was inside the spell too and Lily couldn't see her anymore. Then she popped her head back again, which was unsettling.

"Stay here," Belle told her.

"But-" Lily pouted.

"Stay," she warned her once more before disappearing again.

Lily huffed, sat cross-legged on the floor and scowled. "I'm not a dog," she muttered to the already gone Belle.

She was playing _Angry Birds_ on her phone, scowling at the cheeky pigs and wishing she had brought some clothes so she could get rid of the pink wetsuit, when someone started getting out of the ship.

Lily gaped. " _Archie_?"

"Tayler!" the man seemed relieved.

"How… how on earth are you _alive_?"

Archie frowned. "Why does everybody think I'm dead?"

"Because we saw you! You died and we… This morning we had your funeral!"

Archie blinked, taken aback. "Well, I'm sorry I missed it."

"Not funny!" she threw herself into his arms, hugging him tight. "We all thought you were dead. Dad was devastated."

His face fell. "I will have to talk with him then," he said. "But first I need to find Mr. Gold. I think Belle might be in danger."

Lily's eyes widened. "Danger? No!" she jumped into the first step.

Archie grabbed her wrist. "No! It can be dangerous! I can't let you go in there!"

She broke from his grasp. "Go find help. I can take care of myself," and then she stepped into the protection of the spell.

Her heart stopped once she stepped on deck. She hadn't seen that ship in years but she would recognize it even with her eyes closed.

The Jolly Roger.

Her knees faltered and she had to grab the bannister to keep herself uptight. The masts, the sails… everything was exactly the same. She took a deep breath; it even smelled the same.

Home.

.

.

"Tell me something, love," he slowly walked towards her. "If a woman comes to you and begs you to take her away," he was way too close. She could feel his breath against her cheeks when he spoke. "is that theft?"

For a split of a second Belle could understand why Milah had wanted to go with the rogue pirate. But then… "Why would she leave him?"

"Because he was a coward," he spat. "And because she loved me," he said before, mercifully, stepping away.

Hook walked towards Baelfire's shawl, touching it with his namesake. Belle took advantage of the reprieve and pulled herself together.

"I should've burned this the moment I acquired it," he said.

"Why didn't you?"

He kept his gaze away from her. "Because she made it," he answered laconically.

 _Oh_. Belle understood. And the ' _Because I loved her_ ' was left hanging in the air. "I'm sorry she died," she said. "But vengeance? Vengeance won't bring her back!"

And he had _her_ gun pointed in her direction once again as he smiled darkly. "Died? Like it was some kind of accident," he started walking towards her. "Is that what he told you?"

Before she could answer they heard the ship creaking. Someone was on deck. Belle just hoped it was Rumple.

Hook's eyes narrowed and he made his way upstairs, Belle rushing behind him to follow.

It wasn't Rumple.

Tayler was in the middle of the deck, looking around with a strange expression on her face. When she saw them her eyes turned wide and she took one step back. Not that Belle could blame her; Hook did look quite scary, after all, and he had a gun.

A gun he was aiming at the girl with a murderous expression.

"What is this?" he demanded. "It's some kind of trick? I won't fall for it! YOU WON'T GET ME WITH THIS, CROCODILE!"

Belle also stepped back, the pirate's eyes were wide and furious and she felt cold fear churning her stomach. "Hook…" she started warningly.

But he wouldn't hear it. "It's bad enough that he took _her_ but now he has to go and taunt me with this?" he spat. "You chose the wrong person to impersonate, Dark One," he told Tayler. "And she was younger than this."

"It's really me," Tayler said raising her hands. "I'm not the Crocodile, I'm me."

Hook laughed darkly. "You can't be her. She died."

Belle was feeling rather lost. Obviously there was something she was missing.

How did Hook and Tayler even know each other?

"I swear it's me! I didn't die! It was all a trick from Pan!"

"Oh, you sure know your story."

Tayler was starting to get angry, Belle could see it in her face. "Stop it! I'm really Lily, alright? You should know this! You should recognize me!"

Hook was also furious. "Oh, I recognize you alright, but I won't fall for a tr-"

"You used to call me Flower," Tayler said in a small voice. "And you told me stories about Uncle Liam when I couldn't sleep. You taught me Greek and Arithmetic and made me chart the Neverland skies each night for five years. You taught me how to swim and swordplay and how to play chess. You sew my breeches when I broke them. Even if I broke them a lot. You and the crew got me a crown so I could really be 'The Indian Princess' and I threw it into the sea," Tayler took a shuddering breath. "You used to call me Flower," she repeated in the end.

Hook dropped the gun. "Li-Lily?" his voice shook.

"Papa!" she ran towards him.

Oh! _Oh_!

Now Belle understood a lot. Even if it broke her heart to do it.

.

.

Her Papa's arms were tight around her, crushing her against the old familiar leather. But it was alright because hers were even tighter.

She had buried her head on his chest until his knees gave out under him and he dragged them both to the deck. So now they were both kneeling on the ground, hugging each other like they lives depended on it.

"You're alive," he kept muttering against the crown of her head. "You're alive. You really are alive."

Lily raised her head, which had been hiding on his neck, to look up at him. His eyes were red and his cheeks were wet; it made her tear up.

"You're such a baby," she said trying not to cry too.

He let out a huff of laughter. "Maybe," he said, because when it came to her he really was.

"I missed you," she told him.

Her Papa brought their foreheads together. "I missed you, too," he choked up. "Please, don't ever leave me again."

Lily went back to hugging him, trying to calm her breathing on his shoulder. His arms went once more around her and he looked at the skies, silently thanking every god there was for returning his daughter back into his arms.

"I won't," she said. "I promise."

He stifled a sob. Lily, after taking a deep breath and almost drowning in the familiar smell of rum and leather and seawater, broke from his embrace. She sat on her knees and mirrored her.

"When did you get here? Have you been here the whole time?"

"I-"

She didn't get to speak; someone was clapping on the background. Both pirates jumped to their feet, Killian partially covering her even if she didn't need any protection. The gun he had stolen from Belle was trained on the intruder's direction. Unwavering.

"What a tender scene," said Rumplestiltskin with sarcasm. "I'm almost sad I missed it."

He smirked. "Oh, you look different in this world, Crocodile," he told him. "Like the coward I met so long ago," he eyed his cane. "limp and all."

"Yet you still can't kill me," the Crocodile noted. "And now you've got everything to lose again," his gaze flitted to Lily for one second.

Killian's face hardened. "I won't let you kill her," he said. "Not like you did with Milah."

Belle gasped, all the eyes on the ship turned to her. A slow smirk, dark and dangerous, stretched the pirate's lips.

"Right, he hasn't told you, has he?" his voice dripped with venom. "He hasn't told you how he reached inside her chest," Belle started to shake her head as he strutted towards her. "grabbed her heart and ripped it out," he mimicked the actions with his hook, his voice raising with each sentence. "And how then he _crushed_ it so that she died in my arms."

"No-"

"In front of her daughter!"

"No-"

"Just because she'd _dared_ to be happy!" his eyes were swimming with fire. "Isn't that what you did, Dark One?" his gaze didn't leave Belle's shaking figure. "Or I got it wrong?"

Rumplestiltskin took a step towards his lover. "Belle-"

Killian wasn't finished. "He will do anything to hold on to his power. Isn't that right, Rumplestiltskin?" he spat the name as his gaze finally travelled to him. "Let's have it then. What magic are you going to hide behind today?"

"Oh, not magic," he said with a laugh.

And then he swung his cane.

Lily didn't have time to step aside and the wood slammed hard against her shoulder. She heard a snap as she fell on one knee with a cry on her lips. Her world flashed white.

"RUMPLE!" Belle's scream pierced the deck.

Lily's ears rang with the blood that rushed to her head. She blinked away the white spots and raised her head. The Crocodile towered over her, gripping his bloody cane. Behind him her father was frozen mid-lunge, glowing red. Belle was at his right, her eyes wide and her face horrified.

"She's just a child!" said Belle. "Leave her be. She's just a little girl."

The Dark One laughed darkly. "She's not a little girl. Besides hurting _him_ won't do anything," he added. " _She_ 's his weakness."

Lily felt fury boiling inside her. « _Weakness_ ,» she thought. « _I'll show you weakness_ ». And so, hugging her injured arm close to her chest, she stood up and kicked his knee. On his injured leg, obviously.

Gold staggered backwards, half-surprised, and Belle caught him before he could fall down. He sneered at her and she glared right back.

"Rumple," Belle's hands closed around his arm. "Let's go," her eyes were wide and begging. "Don't hurt them. That's enough. Don't let him destroy the last bit of light I know there's inside you."

Rumplestiltskin pressed his lips tight together. "You," he spat after some seconds, pointing at the frozen pirate with his cane. "Leave her out of this and I'll leave _her_ ," he jabbed the walking stick in Lily's direction. "out of this."

He waved the other hand, as much as he could with Belle clinging on said hand's arm, and they disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Killian caught his daughter before she could fall back to the deck. His eyes were flashing and a muscle on his cheek jumped at the clenching of his jaw. Neither of them said anything as they made their way below deck.

Lily took deep breaths and tried not to think about the pain.

Her father left her on his quarters and disappeared without a word. When he came back he had strips of canvas, clean and white, and an old shawl. He eyed her attire with bemusement and distaste and Lily tugged at the zipper on the back with her uninjured arm.

He tsked at the sight of her swollen shoulder, once he'd helped her out of the sleeve and the damage was on sight. Lily had seen, and broken herself, enough bones to know that her collarbone was probably broken.

She made a face; she wasn't on the mood to spend weeks waiting for it to heal.

Bloody crocodile.

With deft fingers and a little help of his hook he strung one of the pieces of canvas, probably a spare part of a sail, around her arm and shoulder as an improvised sling. It kept her arm tucked tightly over her stomach.

"What's that?"

Her words startled them both, immersed on the silence as they were. Killian looked up from the knot he'd finished tying so she gestured towards the shawl on the table with her head. It hurt.

"What that lass came here for, I bet," he said. "Your mother made it for Baelfire long ago. It's what Rumplestiltskin needs to leave this town with his memories intact and find your brother."

Her features softened with understanding. "It might have been a few years... or thirty," she smiled sardonically. "But I doubt he has warmed any more to the idea of meeting his father again."

"We need to burn it, but…"

"Mama made it."

He smiled sadly. "We don't have many things left from her."

"But still… we have to burn it. For Bae."

He sighed. "For Bae."

.

.

They doused the cloth with rum and then Killian used his hook and a piece of flint to send spark over it and set it aflame. They watched in solemn silence as it burned, the ashes flying away and disappearing into the sea.

It was almost like sending her mother below the waves once again.

When the wind had carried the last bits of ash away from the glinting hook, father and daughter looked at each other once again.

He snorted. "And I thought the dressing habits in this realm were bizarre… I've been wondering, what on earth are you wearing?"

Lily blinked, a little taken aback, and then looked down at herself. She flushed once she saw she was still wearing the bright pink wetsuit. Though at least it was thankfully dry.

"It's a wetsuit."

He just raised one eyebrow, amused.

"It's for when I go into the sea. It helps me keep warm. It doesn't let the water out so my body heat keeps it warm and I don't get cold."

"And does it have to be this awful colour?"

"It was a gift," she excused herself. Then she remembered _who_ had given her the wetsuit and her face fell.

She was sure what came next wouldn't be pretty.

"Papa," she said. "I have something to tell you and you're not going to like it one bit."

His smile vanished to be replaced with trepidation.

"Yet you should tell me anyway. Don't worry, Flower, whatever it is, I'm ready."

(He wasn't ready).

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **So that's it! They're together at last.**

 **For the moment at least.**

 **I know it's been** _ **way**_ **to long and I'm really, really sorry. But... review?**

 **MW.**


	23. Father of mine

**Did you expect this? No! But have I made you happy? I hope so!**

 **I swear I used to be much better at updating regularly. I don't know what happened.**

 **And I kinda left you with a cliffhanger that last chapter. SORRY FOR THAT.**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

 **Father of mine.**

« _Come on. Pick up, pick up, pick up…_ »

A beat.

"Lils?"

She sighed. "Jim."

She could hear his smile on the other side. "Sup, cuz? Wen said you stormed off the Blanchard loft hours ago. Have you cooled down yet?"

"Jimmy, I need you to come pick me up," her voice shook.

"Are you alright?" his voice denoted concern. "What happened?"

She exhaled shakily. "I- I need you to take me to the hospital."

He cursed. "Where are you? I'm coming now."

"I'm at the docks," she sniffled. "Can you hurry, please?"

"I'll be right there," he promised before hanging up.

Lily dropped the phone on her lap and bit her lip hard enough to turn it white. Her shoulder hurt, but her heart hurt worse. She drew her knees close to her chest and hugged them with her uninjured arm.

Hiding her face on her knees, she recalled the last half an hour.

.

.

"So… you know how there was a curse, right?"

"Aye, the devastation that it left on the Enchanted Forest gave us a slight hint," he said with sarcasm.

Lily steeled herself. "So in the curse my name was Tayler, Tayler Carpenter. Which is funny because I almost always went by Tiger Lily once you left so people kept calling me Ty ev-" she cleared her throat. "And you don't care about that."

"I'm missing the point, Flower."

She evaded her father's eyes, exactly the same as her own. "Right. Everyone inside the curse was supposed to be unhappy, because that was what the curse did. But I… wasn't?" she grimaced. "Unhappy I mean. I had –still have– my friends and, well, my family."

Her father's face turned suspiciously blank. "Your family."

"Yeah, my sister, Heidi, well, actually Wendy, and my Uncle. He died not long ago. It was very sad. And, well, uh, my dad."

"Your dad," he repeated. "But… that doesn't matter anymore. I'm here now."

Things were about to get awkward. Lily scratched her ear and his father's lips twitched momentarily at the familiar gesture.

"About that…" she struggled to find the words. "No."

He blinked. "No, what? I _am_ here, Flower, and I won't leave again. You don't have to keep staying with that man."

She bristled. "That man is my father!"

" _I_ am your father!"

She rolled her eyes. "I know that, Darth Vader-"

"Dart what?"

"- but that doesn't mean he isn't my dad too."

He looked confused. "But he's not. You were all cursed, none of it was real."

"I've spent over twenty-eight years living with that man as my father!" she exclaimed. "I know he's not my real Dad, he wasn't even during the curse, but I love him like he was. He raised Tayler and she loved him with all her heart. And Tayler is a part of me now."

"But it's all based in a lie!"

Her heart was slowly breaking. "But that doesn't mean the feelings weren't there. I have years of memories, years spent together. It doesn't go away just like that."

"But… what do you mean to say, then?" he asked with a small voice.

Her throat felt tight. "I mean… you're my father, my papa, and I love you. But he's my dad, too, and I love him. And I don't want to choose either of you, it would _break_ me to do that," and there were the tears. "So, so I-I don't wa-want to do i-i-it. Can't I… Can't I have both?"

He took a step back. "I…"

" _Please_."

"I need to think," he shook his head as if to clear it.

"Papa."

Her stomach plunged at the anguish she could see in his eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

.

.

He had left then and Lily had made it to the dock before the tears came again. Sitting on the wood she had waited until she was calm enough to search for her phone to call Jim.

So there she was, hugging her knees and feeling torn inside.

It didn't take Jim much time to come running to the docks. He swore loudly at the sight of her sling and carefully helped her to her feet.

"What happened? Who did that?"

She huffed. "The Crocodile, who else?"

Jim furrowed his eyebrows. "Why?"

"Because he wanted to teach my papa a lesson," she said bitterly.

"Your papa… Wait! Uncle Killian is here?" his eyes were wide and he looked around like expecting the pirate to pop up from inside one of the boats.

Lily made a face. "He is. I don't know when he got here… The Jolly Roger is over there. It's under a cloaking spell so don't look for it. He's gone now, though."

"Gone? Why?"

"Let's just say he didn't take news about Marco all that well."

Jim's face fell. "Oh, Lils…"

She evaded his eyes. "Did you come on your bike? Where is it?"

He sighed. "It's over here. Come on. Your sister and your father should be on their way to the hospital."

.

.

"Ty! Oh, thank God!"

Lily lifted her head from where it had been leaning against Jim's shoulder. Her sister was already in front of her, hesitating about hugging her or not. Lily took her hand and squeezed.

"Tayler! Gods, what happened to you, my child?" Marco's eyes were full of concern.

She smiled grimly. "Mr. Gold has a mean cane, you know?"

"Mr. Gold? Rumplestiltskin did this?" the anger was clear on his voice.

Wendy sat on the chair next to her, Lily's hand still trapped between hers on her lap. "Does it hurt much? What have they told you?"

"Dr. Whale is looking at the X-ray. Although he says I probably have a broken collarbone or something like that."

"It will probably take a few weeks to heal," Jim helpfully added.

Wendy grimaced. "That sucks. But at least it wasn't during school. It is your right hand after all."

"Oh, that doesn't matter: I spent years using only my left hand so I could use both."

Jim patted her knee. "Neverland was really boring."

She pushed his knee with hers. Luckily Jim caught the hint and stood up, making all the eyes in the waiting room fall on him.

"Hey, Wen, do you want to come and get some coffee with me or something?" he asked without any kind of subtleness.

Wendy caught her gaze and Lily begged her with her eyes. She stood up too.

"We'll get you something," said Jim.

Marco sighed disgruntled. "I hope they aren't thinking of going to kiss somewhere. Right now it's not the moment."

She smiled at that. "No, Jim is doing it for me. I… I need to tell you something, Dad."

"Tell me what?"

"You better- you better sit down," she patted the chair Wendy had just vacated. "And keep in mind that I love you, alright?"

His eyebrows scrunched with confusion and concern. "You're starting to worry me."

She took a deep breath. "So, today I was at the docks with Belle…"

.

.

There was a roof which had access to the place where Jim had taken Lily on one of those headless horses he saw around. There he waited, fuming, agonizing, panicking all at once.

And then he saw them.

He brought his spyglass to his eye to get a better look and his heart broke a little.

There was a girl, probably that Wendy lass, under Jim's arm. She was talking with Lily with a wide smile on her face. Her fingers were tangled with Jim's, the ones of the arm over her shoulder. They looked in love.

Then there was Lily. Her sling had been changed by a strange black one without any kind of laces on sight. It seemed to hold her arm well enough, though. Her free hand was clutching an older man's arm.

His blood boiled.

The man was certainly old. Old enough to be her grandfather. He had that fond, exasperated look that fathers wore when they children had done something foolish and he was looking at _his_ daughter.

The man's lips moved, but Killian was too far away to hear what it was said. They all laughed at the unheard joke. They resembled a perfect family.

Lily's eyes were filled with mirth and he could almost hear her laughter in his mind. Perhaps she looked somewhat older and taller, wore peculiar clothes and used strange expressions, but he was sure her laugh was still the same.

She turned to the man, smiling wildly and saying something back. With a roll of his eyes he flicked her ear.

Killian lowered the spyglass and took a step back. He couldn't keep watching anymore; he felt like his heart was being stomped on. It was like losing Lily all over again.

Just not to death, but to a man more worthy of her than himself.

Hand clenched in a fist he turned away and didn't look back.

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X

« _Thank the gods for painkillers_ ».

Sure, Lily had broken a lot of bones in her long life but still… it hurt. And it didn't help that her dad had gone into over-protective mode.

He didn't let her do _anything_ so she was bored and the pain was worse since she didn't have anything to distract her from it.

Though, at least, Grace was kind enough to visit and stay to watch movies with her. Or play cards. Or even just listen to her whine.

"I miss Henrys PS2," Lily sighed.

"You know it's in the Evil Queen's house, right?"

Lily stuck out her tongue at her. "Of course I know. But still, I miss it."

Grace just shook her head faintly amused. "I think my dad wants to get me one," she said.

Lily lifted one eyebrow. "Why?"

"He says he's missed like thirty of my birthdays and he has to make it up to me. I think he's just trying to buy me so that I'll want to spend more time with him than my curse-parents," she rolled her eyes at the notion.

"Well, I wish _my_ papa was trying to buy me. At least I would know he cares."

Grace's eyes flooded with pity. "Ty…"

"Don't. I know he's hurting and that he needs some time to process and everything but… this is hurting me too, you know? We could deal with it together. Instead he wishes to run away," she punched her tight to release the pent-up frustration. "I can't talk with him if he's not here, can I?"

"He'll come around," Grace assured. "You'll see."

A beat.

The blonde cleared her throat. "How's… how's Marco taking it?"

Lily sighed. "As well as it can be expected. He already knew this day would come sooner or later and I've told him I'm not going to leave him forever. He's still my dad. And I think he's relieved and angry at the same time that my papa hasn't appeared around here yet."

"They will have to meet someday."

Lily cracked a smirk. "I just hope that meeting isn't anything like yours."

Her friend smiled too. "If it doesn't end in a food fight you can be satisfied."

They both laughed at the reminder of the disastrous evening. Things had gotten somewhat better, with Grace forcing more of those dinners on her parents and threatening to leave and go live with Lily if they didn't behave. They had come to an agreement in the end, where Grace spent a week in each house, though now that it was summer she stayed outside most of the time.

They were working to find a balance. It was tough but they were working on it.

Lily scowled. "I can't have them meeting if my papa is not around, though. And he has vanished from the face of the earth."

"Well," Grace smiled slowly. "You'll have to find him then. I'm sure Henry will know some name to put this operation."

Lily's scowl disappeared as she beamed at her friend. "Yeah. We can use the walkie-talkies again. Operation Fishing –because, you know, he's Captain _Hook_."

Grace glared at her and her bad puns. "Maybe you can even ask the Sheriff. I'm sure she will be able to find him."

"You're right, I should probably ask Sheriff Swan first. My papa is dangerous and I think it would be best if there was someone capable doing the search."

Grace's eyebrows rose at the dangerous part but she didn't comment on it. "So that's settled then," she said instead. "How about we watch a movie, huh? Do you want to watch Peter Pan?"

"Get out my house."

.

.

"Hey, Ty," David smiled as he opened the door. "Whoa! What happened to you?"

She grimaced. "Can we not talk about it?"

He seemed reluctant but he agreed anyways. "Henry is not here Finn came by a little while ago. I think they went skating? You should probably check the park."

"I know. I came here to see Emma."

"Emma?" his eyebrows climbed up his face.

"I need her help."

If somewhat bemused, David stepped aside to let her in. Emma Swan was sitting on a stool by the kitchen island, chatting with Snow, who was on the other side.

"Ty! What are you doing here?"

"Whoa! What the hell happened to your arm? Did you get into another fight?"

Lily made a face. "You should see the other guy."

Snow walked around the counter and cupped her face. Her eyes were a mix of sad and angry and Lily fought the urge to step back. The queen sighed after some seconds of scanning her face but, thankfully, released her without saying anything.

"I need your help," Lily told the Savior in the end.

"Me? Why?"

"I need you to find my father."

"Didn't we already have this conversation?"

Lily recalled that time she cornered Emma at Granny's and asked her to find her father. The, by then Deputy and later Sheriff, had looked for months without finding anything until Tayler had finally relented and told her to drop it.

"If he's working so hard not to be found there must be a reason," she had said.

"Have you checked the town census?" asked David. "I thought you were the one in charge of making the new one."

Snow gaze was sad. "Ty, if you haven't found him yet maybe you should consider that he's…" she cleared her throat. "… not here," she finished lamely.

"Oh, no," Lily smiled. "He's here. I've talked with him."

"Oh!"

She saw their confusion. "I've told him about Marco," she grimaced. "He didn't take it very well."

"That's understandable," David noted stealing a glance in Emma's direction.

"Yeah, well, I just want to find him before he commits murder."

Their eyes widened with alarm. "He's going to kill Marco?" cried Snow.

"Oh, no," she waved them off. "He wouldn't hurt me like that. No, no, he's probably going to kill Gold," she said matter-of-factly.

While Snow and Emma's alarm grew, mixed with confusion, David just shook his head half exasperated half amused. "Why am I not surprised?"

Snow narrowed her eyes with suspicion. "Why aren't you?"

"Because she tried to kill Rumplestiltskin a couple of weeks ago."

" _What?_ " both women stared at her with wide eyes.

She rolled her eyes at David. "I didn't try to kill him."

"You held a gun at his head!"

"But I didn't pull the trigger, did I? If I had really wanted to kill him I would have, no matter what you told me," she scoffed. "It wouldn't even be the first time."

Emma chocked." Wait! Does that mean you've tried to kill people before?"

"That means I've _killed_ people before," she corrected almost nonchalantly.

"But you're just a kid! You're Henry's age!"

This time it was Snow who spoke, her voice sad. "Wars are nasty business, Emma. Even for kids."

"But…"

David cleared his throat, cutting his daughter before she could get started. "You'll have to tell us things about your father so we can find him. Where do you think he could be, what does he look like… Hell! What's even his name? We don't know anything about the guy."

"Well, he doesn't go by his name almost ever anymore. But it's Killian. Killian Jones. He's more kno-"

"Your father is Captain Hook?"

Lily blinked up at Emma, something akin to dread pooling on her stomach. "How do you know that?"

"So he is, then? Oh, Ty!" Snow sighed.

"Wait, Captain Hook is real too?"

Lily scoffed. "Says Prince Charming."

"We met him on the Enchanted Forest," Emma said for both Lily and David.

"So your father is a pirate with a bad perm?"

Lily huffed a laugh. "He doesn't look like that. You of all people should know how fairytales can end all twisted up."

Snow nodded. "He was actually quite handsome," seeing her husband betrayed face she kissed him quickly. "But he couldn't hold a candle to you, of course."

Emma was scowling. "He was working with Cora though. So if we find him maybe he can tell us where she is."

Lily smirked. "If that makes you help me find him then go ahead."

"God! I can't believe I didn't see it before," she shook her head. "I even saw his tattoo of a lily for his daughter and I didn't make the connection. What kind of Sheriff am I?"

Lily felt her heart tighten. "He has a tattoo of a lily?" she asked with a tiny voice.

"Yeah, he said it was a reminder of the daughter he lo-" she cut herself mid-sentence catching sight of her face. "Hey, don't worry," she patted her shoulder, the good one, awkwardly. "We'll find him, alright?"

Lily took in a shaky breath. "I didn't want to hurt him."

"Hey, it's okay," Emma squeezed her shoulder. "It's just this curse: everything is a mess," her eyes met her parents' over the girls head and it was almost like an apology.

Snow smiled sadly. "Come on," she said. "We have a pirate to find."

David was the last one to leave the loft and Lily fell into step with him.

"I still can't believe Captain Hook is your father," he told her. "Man, James Barry got it _so_ wrong."

She scowled. "You don't know the half of it."

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 **So... you know... a pretty complete chapter. Did you know I had the Emma-Snow-David-Lily conversation already planned and half-written before I even wrote most of the chapters? I think the curse hadn't even been broken yet.**

 **I hope I did Killian justice with his POV. He's fun to write but hard.**

 **You'll see there's a reason why I'm doing all this instead of letting Killian and Lily be happy just like that (beside of, you know, THE ANGST).**

 **Because usually I just rush to get these posted as soon as possible I haven't been answering reviews like I should AND I'M SO SORRY! BUT THANK YOU FOR LEAVING THEM ANYWAYS!**

 **Hope you liked it!**

 **MW.**


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